WASHINGTON, May 4 -- As a sudden but predicted victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday pushed through a new version of American Health Care Act aimed to repeal and replace Obamacare, by 217 to 213 votes.
The bill was passed in the House with only one more vote than needed. All Democrats voted against the bill on the House floor, while 20 Republicans voted no. The Obamacare repeal, one of Trump's key campaign promises, would usher in sweeping changes to the U.S. health care system in the coming years.
TRUMP EXALTS VICTORY
The vote was thought a major breakthrough for Trump who failed to get any major legislations passed by the Congress during his first 100 days in the White House.
Following the voting, Trump, together with Vice President Mike Pence and dozens of House Republicans, celebrated the victory at the White House Rose Garden, touting the bill as a "great plan" while claiming Obamacare "essentially dead."
"This has really brought the Republican Party together," Trump said. "As much as we've come up with a really incredible health care plan, this has brought the Republican Party together. We're going to get this finished."
"It's going to be an unbelievable victory... when we get it through the Senate." he said.
"A lot of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote," House Speaker Paul Ryan said earlier Thursday.
House Republican leaders had scrambled for enough support before the voting after having a series of changes added since an earlier version was pulled from a House floor voting at last minute in March.
Also on the day, frustrated Democrats warned that the Obamacare repeal will leave Americans worse off.
"Make no mistake, many people will die as a result of this bill," House lawmaker Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, said on ABC.
Sensing the challenges ahead in the Senate, Pence told the crowd: "Welcome to the beginning of the end of Obamacare."
UNCERTAIN FATE IN SENATE
The bill is now sent to the Senate where it is widely expected to face fierce partisan fights and significant revisions.
First, the House voting was in high stakes since the latest version of the bill emerged only days ago and the Congressional Budget Office has yet to analyze its costs and impact on people's ability to obtain insurance.
"Do you believe in what is in this bill?" House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday."Some of you have said ... well, they'll fix it in the Senate. But you have every provision of this bill tattoos on your forehead you will glow in the dark on this one."
Second, similar with the situation in the House, no Senate Democrats are expected to support the bill. Therefore, the 52 Republicans in the Senate could afford to lose only two votes to have the bill passed. Vice President, acting as the Senate Speaker, would cast a vote in the event of a tie.
Third, if the Senate does approve its own version of health care bill, it must reconcile the differences with the House version to compose a compromise package. It is unsure if the Senate-made changes can garner enough support from House Republicans.
REPLACING OBAMACARE
Under the latest version of the House bill, all 50 U.S. states will be allowed to apply for waivers from key Obamacare provisions and set their own standards.
The bill will provide extra 8 billion dollars over five years for high-risk pools aimed at helping states and insurers deal with high-cost patients. Including the additional money, a total of 138 billion dollars will be funded for the high-risk pools over the next decade.
The bill will also allow states to permit insurers to charge more for pre-existing conditions, terminate tax penalties for individuals who don't buy insurance coverage and larger employers who don't offer coverage, replace Obamacare premium subsidies with tax credits instead.
Tax increases on people earning more than 250,000 dollars a year and a range of industry groups including health insurers, drug makers, medical device manufacturers and tanning bed salons will also come to an end under the House bill.
In contrast, elder or sick Americans would be charged more under the new bill. Under Obamacare, insurers can't charge a 64-year-old more than three times as much as it does a 21-year-old. The new bill would let insurers charge older customer five times as much. States could also opt out of Obamacare's required set of benefits or allow insurers again to charge some sick patients more for coverage in certain circumstances.
However, the bill would keep in place a key provision of Obamacare allowing younger Americans to stay on their parents' health plans until age 26.
雅思听力满分心得多听剑七多背单词
雅思真题怎么用最有效高分烤鸭心得
雅思听力名师支招30天冲刺的备考计划
雅思8分心得阅读制胜法宝
雅思口语达人锤炼之道侧重三阶段学习秘诀
雅思写作从一道题中可以学到什么
雅思排名中国大陆垫底亚洲口语为弱项
雅思阅读专项突破判断题的技巧系列讲解之四
雅思写作浅谈下定义在议论文中的用途
雅思好分数离不开自己的努力
雅思口语攻略IT类如何赚取眼球
雅思考试新趋势策略
雅思词汇背诵之一边臭美一边学英文
雅思阅读名师辅导30天冲刺的备考计划
雅思听力秘笈
雅思阅读多选题解题技巧
雅思写作技巧助你突破7分瓶颈
雅思阅读题支招让是非变得简单
雅思口语支招30天冲刺备考计划
180秒攻克雅思阅读段落细节配对题
浅析雅思写作评分标准及考生的应试策略
雅思名师支招五十小时攻克IELTS写作
三步跨出雅思写作机经误区
雅思考试日期出台并开始接受报名
雅思阅读多选题如何推测出题位置
名师讲解雅思口语卡片
雅思将暂不在中国推行机考保留纸笔考试模式
雅思阅读高分软硬件名师权威解读
教你开口雅思口语卡片家人朋友篇
雅思阅读中的多选题之同题异做
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |