Republicans in the House released changes late Monday to their healthcare plan in an attempt to sway more members to vote for it.
Called the "manager's amendment," the changes cater to both conservative and moderate Republican concerns about the bill, the American Health Care Act, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Here are three things to know about the proposed changes.
1. Medicaid restrictions. First, the amendment would make some adjustments to limit Medicaid expansion. For example, it sunsets the option for states to expand Medicaid to adults above 133 percent of the federal poverty line and limits enhanced funding to states that choose to expand Medicaid after March 2017. It also adds in an optional work requirement for nondisabled, non-pregnant, nonelderly enrollees to receive coverage. While states would not have to implement the work requirement, they would receive additional federal funds to do so. Lastly, it also adds in a block grant option for states in addition to the per capita cap program. States would have to submit a block grant plan and have it approved by HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, before they could implement the programs in 2020.
2. Breaks for elderly Americans. Republicans allotted additional funds for the age-based tax credits, though they did not officially change the amounts people would receive. This move puts the ball in the Senate's court, allowing the other chamber to make changes to the tax credits outlined in the original plan. This addition caters to concerns raised by moderate Republicans, according to The Washington Post. The amendment would also increase the Medicaid inflation adjustment for elderly enrollees to help offset high premium costs.
3. Relief from ACA taxes. The amendment delays the ACA's Cadillac tax on luxury employer-sponsored health plans an extra year to 2026. It would also hasten the repeal of several ACA taxes, effective this year. Among the taxes to be immediately repealed are the over-the-counter medication tax, the health savings account tax, medical device tax, health insurance tax and tanning tax.
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