The number one concern of people in the 12th District is the future of the American healthcare system. This is a primary concern of mine, and why I wanted to give you more information on what is happening now in Washington.
Dear Friend,
This week the leaders in the House unveiled the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that became law in 2010. This begins the first phase of a three part strategy to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with the American Health Care Act to address the future of our healthcare system.
The first phase will be complete when Congress passes a special piece of legislation, known as a “reconciliation” bill. Congress uses reconciliation bills because they can pass the Senate with 51 votes, unlike most other bills. Since Republicans control 52 Senate seats, this is the only way to pass the American Health Care Act into law. Passing the American Health Care Act will eliminate burdensome taxes and penalties – including the individual mandate.
The second part of the strategy focuses on action from the Trump Administration. The Affordable Care Act gave lots of authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the law. Because of this, Secretary Tom Price can fix parts of the healthcare system that Congress cannot, including undoing Obama Administration regulations that increase costs to patients.
Finally, Congress will need to pass additional legislation that improves other aspects of the healthcare system. However, this requires Democrat support, which will be difficult to obtain. As this strategy moves forward, I will continue to keep you informed.
Sincerely,
Kay Granger
Member of Congress