Proposed Senate "Obamacare Repeal" Amendment

Today, the U.S. Senate proposes to amend H. R. 3762 to "repeal" additional sections of the Affordable Care Act beyond the sections that the U.S. House proposes to repeal using the budget reconciliation process. The entire law would not be repealed. Budget reconciliation procedures mean the "repeal" is actually a 7-year suspension of various taxes, including the 40% 'Cadillac tax,' zeroing out of the individual and employer mandate penalties (while not repealing the language), ending the risk corridor and reinsurance (corporate welfare/bailout) programs, and phasing out the expansion of Medicaid and taxpayer-funded premium subsidies. If enacted and signed into law, the bill would be a blow to the financial solvency of the law, but would not repeal many ACA provisions which impede on individualized medical decision-making between patients and doctors, such as "value-based" purchasing, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Independent Payment Advisory Board and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. [UPDATED with 20-page Senate amendment on Friday, December 4, 2015]

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