Trump's New Hail Mary For O'Care Repeal Is A Total Freaking Mess
By TIERNEY SNEED Published JULY 21, 2017 3:53 PM
Senate Republicans eager to rescue their flailing Obamacare repeal effort — or at least, eager not to be blamed if it fails — are clinging to a vague idea reportedly being pitched by top Trump administration officials that they say will mitigate the replacement bill’s massive cuts to Medicaid.
The idea is being called a “wraparound” by GOP senators, and they say the goal would be to funnel the low-income people who would lose Medicaid coverage into private plans, using a combination of tax credits for private insurance, the legislation’s stabilization fund and existing Medicaid revenue streams.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said “it certainly can work,” and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called the idea, coupled with a proposed extra $200 billion for the bill’s stabilization fund, “progress.”
The idea sounds tidy enough in principle, but runs into massive problems when one delves into the details of how to pay for it. To make the idea work, experts tell TPM, Republicans would need to massively increase the money they’re willing to spend on assistance for lower income people, and face legal challenges doing so, through Obamacare repeal’s legislative process.
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/wraparound-obamacare-repeal-costs
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Fiend. 
