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A last-ditch effort by the White House and Republican leadership to repeal Obamacare by a looming Sept. 30 deadline might well have been killed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collinsâ announcement on Monday that she wonât support either version of the health care bill sponsored by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La.
Collins joins fellow Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky in stating that sheâll vote ânoâ on the Graham-Cassidy bill. Under budget reconciliation rules that expire Sept. 30, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs 50 votes for passage. If the White House and Republican leadership canât win back one of those three, the bill wonât move forward. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ted Cruz of Texas also have not yet announced full support of the Graham-Cassidy bill.
In a public statement issued Monday, Collins said she had three major concerns with both the version of Graham-Cassidy under review last week and a new version put together over the weekend, which had promised 43% more federal funding for Maine than under Obamacare, according to Beckerâs Hospital Review.Â
Collins described that as a misleading promise because it fails to acknowledge the impact of Medicaid cuts called for in the bill.
âThe fact is, Maine still loses money under whichever version of the Graham-Cassidy bill we consider because the bills use what could be described as a âgive with one hand, take with the otherâ distribution model,â she stated. âHuge Medicaid cuts down the road more than offset any short-term influx of money. But even more important, if senators can adjust a funding formula over a weekend to help a single state, they could just as easily adjust that formula in the future to hurt that state. This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans.â
Hereâs what else Collins had to say about the two versions of Graham-Cassidy:
Vice President Mike Pence appeared on a Maine radio talk show today stating the Trump administration is âcertainly disappointedâ by Collinsâ refusal to support the latest Obamacare repeal effort.
The Bangor Daily News reported that Pence told WGAN Radio that the administration hoped Collinsâ ânoâ vote wouldnât kill the Graham-Cassidy bill.
Collins reiterated her earlier criticisms of the Republican leadershipâs rushed approach to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
âHealth care is a deeply personal, complex issue that affects every single one of us and one-sixth of the American economy,â she said. âSweeping reforms to our health care system and to Medicaid canât be done well in a compressed time frame, especially when the actual bill is a moving target. Today, we find out that there is now a fourth version of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, which is as deeply flawed as the previous iterations. The fact that a new version of this bill was released the very week we are supposed to vote compounds the problem.
âThe Affordable Care Act has many flaws that need to be addressed. The current state of health insurance, where premiums are skyrocketing, choices are limited, and small businesses are struggling, needs fixing. My focus will remain on remedying these problems.â
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Learn moreThe Giving Guide helps nonprofits have the opportunity to showcase and differentiate their organizations so that businesses better understand how they can contribute to a nonprofitâs mission and work.
Work for ME is a workforce development tool to help Maineâs employers target Maineâs emerging workforce. Work for ME highlights each industry, its impact on Maineâs economy, the jobs available to entry-level workers, the training and education needed to get a career started.
This special publication examines the innovation infrastructure in Maine and the resources available to help entrepreneurs at the various stages of their journey.
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