New GOP Health Care Bill Faces Opposition From Both Sides

House Republicans have revealed their long-anticipated bill to replace Obamacare, a necessary part of the party's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and update the nation's health insurance system. Already, the bill is facing pushback from both sides of the aisle.

The new bill would end the individual mandate, one of the most unpopular provisions of the law, while keeping the requirement that children must be allowed to stay on their parents' health insurance until they're 26.

The ban on insurers charging more to people with pre-existing conditions remains in place, as long as patients maintain continuous coverage. If a patient has gaps in coverage of two months or more, insurers in the individual market will have to charge up to 30 percent more than the standard monthly premium rate.

Medicaid will also see big changes. Under the new plan, states will be given "block grants" to fund Medicaid, set amounts of money that officials can use in different ways. Many experts believe this will reduce the number of people who receive health insurance.

The new bill would also provide tax credits for people to buy health insurance on the individual market, though they will be smaller than those provided under Obamacare. And instead of the credits adjusting to a person's income, providing more support to people who make less money, the GOP plan would provide larger tax credits to people based on age — older people receive more.

One proposal not in the law? President Trump's favorite idea: allowing companies to sell insurance across state lines. According to Kayla Tausche, a correspondent with CNBC, this provision would not pass under current Senate rules without Democratic votes. Trump later tweeted that "getting rid of state lines" will be in a later phase of the law.

The Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the bill to determine how much it will cost.

Some conservatives are expressing skepticism about the plan, even shortly after its release. "It's subsidies for unaffordable health care, subsidies for unaffordable premiums," said Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican.

Charles Cooke, the editor of the conservative National Review Online, said on Twitter that the bill has not been received well. "I’ve yet to read a single positive analysis of the House’s Obamacare bill," he wrote.

Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, dubbed the bill "Obamacare Lite" — and he didn't mean that as a compliment.

"The House leadership Obamacare Lite plan has many problems. We should be stopping mandates, taxes and entitlements not keeping them," he argued. "It will not pass."

The Heritage Foundation's CEO Michael Needham, said in a statement from the conservative think tank, "In many ways, the House Republican proposal released last night not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them."

It continued: "That is bad politics and, more importantly, bad policy."

"House repeal bill decimates Americans’ health care," tweeted Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. "Devastating for women. Cuts Medicaid & hurts Medicare. We will fight this."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed the sentiment. "Just when you think you've seen it all, Republicans go more extreme," she tweeted. "Their #MakeAmericaSickAgain bill will do massive harm to families."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said the the Republicans were ashamed of their plan and were trying to ram it through the legislative process.

"It's amazing to me that after eight years, they're so ill-prepared," he said.

A website designed to promote the House bill denies that anyone will lose coverage under the proposed law.

"We are working to give all Americans peace of mind about their health care," it says. "We will have a stable transition toward a system that empowers patients with more choices and lower costs."

Read the full draft here>>

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