Nebraska Ag Connection - Trump to GOP: Pass Health Bill or Keep 'Disastrous' Obamacare

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Trump to GOP: Pass Health Bill or Keep 'Disastrous' Obamacare
Nebraska Ag Connection - 03/24/2017

White House officials and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin told House Republicans in a closed-door meeting Thursday that they are finished with negotiations and President Donald Trump wants a vote on the health care bill.

The vote is scheduled for Friday.

Trump gave Republicans an ultimatum: fall in line behind a broad health insurance overhaul or see their opportunity to repeal Obamacare vanish.

Meanwhile, the conservative Koch network is promising to spend millions of dollars to defeat the health care overhaul backed by President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.

The network's leading organizations, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, announced late Wednesday the creation of a special fund to support House members who vote against the health care bill.

"The bill as it stands today is Obamacare 2.0," said James Davis, executive vice president of Freedom Partners, in a statement announcing the new fund. He added, "We will stand with lawmakers who keep their promise and oppose this legislation - and work toward a solution that reduces costs and provides Americans with the relief they need and deserve."

The organizations backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch declared their formal opposition to the GOP health care proposal early in the week.

Trump himself slammed "disastrous" Obamacare barely an hour after saying he was prepared to leave the health care plan in place if the House fails to pass the GOP replacement bill.

"Disastrous #Obamacare has led to higher costs & fewer options. It will only continue to get worse! We must #RepealANDReplace. #PassTheBill," the president tweeted from the official @POTUS account.

The chamber plans to vote on a revised version of the health-care bill that includes a provision that conservatives negotiated with senior White House officials to remove Obamacare's requirements that certain essential benefits be covered by insurance, according to several lawmakers and aides.

In another development that could unease conservatives, the Congressional Budget Office issued a new estimate Thursday cutting its estimate of how much the bill would reduce the federal budget deficit, reflecting changes GOP leaders made to the measure earlier in the week. The updated measure would reduce the deficit by $150 billion over the next decade, $186 billion less than the initial forecast of $336 billion.

The GOP bill, H.R. 1628, would reverse massive gains in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which brought the uninsured rate to a record low. The proposal would pull hundreds of billions of dollars out of the health system by winding down Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid and limiting its subsidies, threatening revenues for hospitals, doctors and insurance companies.

Yet as Trump and Ryan pick up conservative members with some of the potential changes, they risk losing moderates. Republican Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, leader of the moderate Tuesday Group in the House, reiterated Thursday morning that he would oppose the bill.

Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington also came out Thursday against the bill. The list of GOP defections also includes Staten Island's Dan Donovan, as well as southern New Jersey's Frank LoBiondo, Iowa's David Young and Florida's Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, none of whom are members of the Freedom Caucus.

In a well-timed release, the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Neb., urged people to call legislators, offering advice on how to go about it.

"With legislative sessions in full swing, it is vital for rural constituents to contact legislators regarding issues that affect our communities," the organization said.

Some of the simple tips it offered for calling legislators are:

- Before contacting your legislator, take five minutes to visit their website and learn about their party affiliation, their background, and their stances on your priority issues. This research will help you craft a message that appeals to shared values.

- Next, prepare two or three talking points that outline why your legislator should support your stance. If you want to talk about renewable energy, for example, legislators might be interested in economic benefits, environmental benefits or public health benefits. It is helpful to write out your talking points ahead of time.

"When you call your legislator's office, you will likely get a staff person. It is still worthwhile to speak with staffers! Introduce yourself and tell the legislator or staffer why you are calling. Start with a personal story or value statement, then use the talking points you prepared. End with a request for your legislator to support a bill or take a stance on an issue," the Center for Rural Affairs pointed out.

- Finally, remember to be confident, courteous, brief and passionate. Even if you disagree with a legislator's position, do not resort to name-calling, swearing or threats. End by thanking your legislator so you can continue to build your relationship.

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