The U.S. Senate Republicans have unveiled their version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Written behind closed doors, the bill, titled the Better Care Reconciliation Act, makes moderate adjustments from the version passed by the House of Representatives in May. Notably, the new version calls for deeper cuts to Medicaid with the intent of scaling back the program's expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). It also repeals the ACA tax system.
Like the House version, the Senate version of the bill gets rid of the individual and employer insurance mandates and allows states to write their own essential health benefits beginning in 2020. Some experts are concerned, however, that states may choose to not offer pediatric dental care, which is currently an essential health benefit.
The Congressional Budget Office is expected to release its nonpartisan analysis in the next few days, and the Senate is expected to vote on the healthcare bill before the Fourth of July recess. For the bill to pass, Republicans need all but two party votes, and four GOP senators currently oppose the bill, according to the Associated Press.
