SwampCare 101 – Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Few things in politics surprise me anymore; I expect to see the unexpected, the absurd, the mind blowing, etc. Still, the fact that the Republicans can’t see that with SwampCare (or RyanCare, or ObamaCare Light, etc.) they are doing the exact same thing that the Democrats did—“we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it”—is almost enough to take one’s breath away. And, of course, they are doing it for the exact same reason the Democrats did it–they don’t want the people to know what is in the bill.

See the press release below from the Texas Public Policy Foundation to see the latest on the mess going on in D.C. today. In the meantime, the good news is that the House Republican leadership still doesn’t have the votes to pass this bill, “I’m confident that we have still enough concerns that a vote of 216 votes in the House would not happen today,” House Freedom Caucus Charmain Mark Meadows said yesterday.

Here is the press release:

Millions of Veterans Ineligible for Tax Credits Under American Healthcare Act 
Rushed process for health care bill results in stunning oversight

AUSTIN –The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s (TPPF) Center for Tenth Amendment Action Director Chip Roy issued the following statement on potentially millions of veterans being made ineligible for tax credits under the American Healthcare Act. Technical corrections made to the bill late Monday changed eligibility criteria and now prevents any veterans from receiving the new tax credit. Previously, veterans were eligible as long as they were not already enrolled in a VA plan, Medicare, or other entity. Due to a technical correction using an IRS definition, millions of veterans will not be eligible for the new refundable tax credit.

“As Congress continues to push a healthcare bill that fails to repeal Obamacare, drive down costs, and empower patients, it appears that technical corrections to the bill would make potentially millions of veterans ineligible for the new refundable tax credit. A refundable tax credit is bad policy on its own merits, but this oversight is further evidence that Congress is repeating the same mistakes of the past—rushing through a Washington-centered healthcare bill that fails to live up to promises made to the American people.

“Congress should change course immediately and fully repeal Obamacare—its taxes, its subsidies, its flawed and costly Medicaid expansion, and all the insurance regulations and mandates driving up premiums. The rushed process that led to the passage of Obamacare led to unintended consequences for the American people. Congress should not repeat those same mistakes.”

Chip Roy is Director of the Center for Tenth Amendment Action at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit free-market research institute based in Austin.

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