PBS高端访谈:美参议院共和党人公布新医改法草案

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　　Republican leaders released details of their bill today, but Democrats¹ are rejecting it outright², and some in the GOP are not happy either.

　　Lisa Desjardins begins our coverage³.

　　It's time to act, because Obamacare is a direct attack on the middle class, and American families deserve better than its failing status quo.

　　After weeks of work behind closed doors, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the Senate Republican bill public this morning.

　　It shares some broad strokes with the bill that House Republicans passed in may. It would cut Medicaid overall and impose annual limits on spending.

　　It also repeals⁵ the individual mandate⁶ penalty under Obamacare, and it would end most of the taxes that paid for the Affordable⁷ Care Act.

　　The bill lets states waive⁸ required coverage of essential health benefits. That's things like mental health and hospital care.

　　And it blocks federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year and for health plans that cover most abortions⁹.

　　Democrats unanimously oppose the measure. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

　　Simply put, this bill will result in higher costs, less care, and millions of Americans will lose their health insurance, particularly through Medicaid.

　　It's every bit as bad as the House bill. In some ways, it's even worse.

　　House Speaker Paul Ryan welcomed the Senate's action, without getting into the details.

　　I know how hard this is to pass a bill like this. What was helpful to us, that we didn't have Senate leadership playing armchair quarterback with us.

　　The last thing I want to do is play armchair quarterback with them.

　　The Senate did break with the House on a few issues. The Senate bill would phase out the expansion of Medicaid, but more slowly than the House, ending it by 2024.

　　But, starting in 2025, the Senate would cut all of Medicaid more deeply than the House.

　　The Senate plan also keeps protections for people with preexisting conditions, while the House bill would let states waive those.

　　And the Senate bill continues Obamacare subsidies¹⁰, but limits them to a smaller group of lower-income people.

　　Schumer says, taken as a whole, the changes mean any benefits are in name only.

　　The Senate Republican health care bill is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Only, this Wolf has even sharper teeth than the House bill.

　　Disability advocates and others protested today outside Majority Leader McConnell's office. Capitol Police arrested a number of them.

　　Republican leaders argued that opponents need to look at the actual text before criticizing.

　　They can read the bill. If they have objections to the provisions, we can debate them.

　　But what they're talking about is a bill that doesn't exist which they had not read.

　　At the White House, President Trump¹¹ voiced support and stressed this is not a final draft.

　　Obamacare is a disaster. It's dead, totally dead. And we're putting a plan today that's going to be negotiated.

　　Those negotiations¹² started instantly. Republicans can afford for just two of their members to vote no.

　　And, today, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and three other Republicans said they oppose it as written.

　　And I believe the leverage¹³ on account of four people is enough that hopefully those who wrote the bill would say we want some or all of their votes,

　　and, therefore, we will try to make the bill look more like a repeal⁴ bill and less like a reiteration¹⁴ of Obamacare bill.

　　The Congressional Budget Office says it will have its analysis of the bill by early next week. McConnell is pushing for a vote two or three days after that.

　　Lisa will be back to help us analyze¹⁵ the political prospects¹⁶ for the Senate Republican health care bill after the news summary. undefined

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