Republicans have pushed their health care bill through the House, according to the Associated Press. The mostly party-line 217-213 vote advances a bill that addresses their longtime pledge to erase the 2010 Obama health care law.
Rep. Roger Marshall of Kansas’ 1st District, which includes Manhattan, voted in favor of the bill, as did fellow Kansas representatives Kevin Yoder, Lynn Jenkins and Ron Estes. Estes, the newcomer who replaced Mike Pompeo, won his special election bid on April 11. All four are Republicans.
“This new legislation is going to provide more quality access to health care,” said Marshall in a teleconference on Thursday afternoon. “It’s going to literally save Kansas hospitals. There’s funding directed at states like ours that did not take Medicaid expansion.”
The bill also included an exemption for Congress and their staff members from changes to Obamacare. However, Republicans say an amendment will be voted on to remove that exemption, but no time has been scheduled for that to happen.
Thursday’s vote sends the measure to the Senate, where the Sunflower State is represented by Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. Many senators consider the House bill too harsh and it’s expected to undergo substantial changes.
The House measure collapsed in March due to opposition by conservative and moderate GOP lawmakers. House leaders abandoned another attempt to pass the bill last week after support was lacking.
Leaders finally rounded up enough support after adding money aimed at helping seriously ill patients afford their medical costs.
“People that have a pre-existing condition today — and those that are going to develop one the next day — are better protected under this than they were under the Affordable Care Act,” Marshall concluded. He indicated high-risk pools may be the future of health insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.
Democrats said the bill would kick millions off coverage. They predicted Republicans would pay the price in next year’s elections. Marshall said President Donald Trump is confident he can push the legislation through the Senate.
