Bipartisan Senate deal on stabilizing Obamacare runs into trouble

[progree]

Last edited Wed Oct 18, 2017, 07:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan deal from two U.S. senators to stabilize Obamacare by restoring subsidies to health insurers ran into trouble on Wednesday with President Donald Trump sending mixed signals and the speaker of the House indicating no interest in taking it up.

The deal announced on Tuesday by Republican Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray was intended to shore up Obamacare by reviving billions of dollars of subsidies to insurers for two years to help lower-income Americans obtain medical coverage.

The administration followed through on Trump’s plan from last week to end the subsidies, withholding a payment of hundreds of millions of dollars to insurers that had been scheduled for Wednesday.

...

“Lamar Alexander’s working on it very hard from our side. And if something can happen, that’s fine,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But I won’t do anything to enrich the insurance companies. ... They’ve been enriched by Obamacare like nothing anybody’s ever seen before.”



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare/bipartisan-senate-deal-on-stabilizing-obamacare-runs-into-trouble-idUSKBN1CN18Z

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The article explains that the cost-sharing subsidies are not something the insurance companies are profiting from, but rather must be passed through to low-income consumers to reduce their deductibles, co-payments and other out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Paul Ryan (the Speaker of the HOR) is also throwing shade on Alexander - Murray deal.

Update: please see muriel_volestrangler #5 below -- Thanks!

the White House saying President Donald Trump now opposes it and senior Republicans speaking out against it.

[coolsandy]

1. It's time to go after Paul Ryan in a big way.

These GOP are heartless SOBs. Never felt so bad in all my life and I am 70.

[Freddie]

2. "Bipartisanship is date rape" - Grover Norquist

Did anyone actually expect that something like this would be allowed to happen or even come to a vote? And they will turn around and **blame the Democrats** for "obstruction". You can't make this stuff up.

[FiveGoodMen]

6. I completely agree with the quote, but not the meaning intended by Norquist

[turbinetree]

3. So Ryan wants to let the sexual predator F*CK everyone getting health care subsidies....shocker

Does this complete asshole know that he also is getting a taxpayer supplied subsidy for his family and there health care, and its being paid by the taxpayers----------he does know and his right wing f*cking caucus is getting the same taxpayer subsidy, right along with the sexual predator having the added bonus of getting Medicare Part A and B, from which he probably didn't pay one dime into the system, after he he reached the threshold in age, because he has more than likely been getting that Red White and Blue card that says Medicare on it and its stuffed in his back pocket , because the sexual predator after all is 71...........

Ryan you really are a complete and utter asshole

UN-F*CKING BELIEVABLE




And I have a solution for your sh*t


https://randybryceforcongress.com/

[progree]

4. Another short thread (so far) on the same article:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029724099

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Now redirects to: White House says Trump opposes Senate's bipartisan Obamacare deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan deal from two senators to stabilize Obamacare by restoring subsidies to health insurers suffered major setbacks on Wednesday with the White House saying President Donald Trump now opposes it and senior Republicans speaking out against it.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan signaled opposition to the deal announced on Tuesday by Republican Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray to shore up Obamacare by reviving billions of dollars of federal subsidies to insurers for two years to help lower-income Americans obtain medical coverage.

Alexander said on Wednesday Trump had “completely engineered” the bipartisan proposal but the president backed away from support he had expressed a day earlier.

On Tuesday, Trump said the White House was involved in the negotiations and that the agreement was “a very good solution” short-term approach but later on Tuesday and then on Wednesday said he would not support a plan that enriched insurance companies.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare/white-house-says-trump-opposes-senates-bipartisan-obamacare-deal-idUSKBN1CN18Z

[elmac]

7. its not Obamacare anymore

its tRumpcare or repugcare. They own it now.