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September 27, 2017
On Sept. 26, U.S. Senate leadership announced there will not be a vote on the latest version of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill.
Named after its four sponsors, the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson (GCHJ) bill aimed to repeal parts of the ACA and change its federal funding system with annual block grants to states to help individuals pay for health care.
According to a press release from the office of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the grant dollars would replace the federal money being spent on Medicaid expansion, ACA tax credits, cost-sharing reduction subsidies and basic health plan dollars. The GCHJ bill would also provide states with equitable block grant distribution, which aims to provide equal funding for all states by 2026.
Sen. Cassidy also published a formula description, along with a list of frequently asked questions, with details on the bill’s funding plan.
The decision not to vote on the legislation came one day after the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on the GCHJ bill, when Republican leadership reportedly lacked the votes needed for passage.
The current draft of the bill shares several provisions with the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), some of which ABC supported, which include zeroing out the individual and employer mandates and repealing the ACA’s medical device tax.
Under the current fiscal year’s rules of reconciliation, the Senate needed to vote on the bill by Sept. 30 in order to avoid the 60-vote requirement.
On July 28, the Senate voted on passage of the BCRA, but the GOP’s effort was voted down 49-51, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) casting the final “no” vote.
ABC will continue to provide updates in Newsline on the status of the GCHJ bill and other health care issues that impact ABC members.
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