With a vote looming as soon as Wednesday, members of the Senate Finance Committee assembled earlier today to hold a hearing on the Graham-Cassidy healthcare reform proposal and were met, immediately and unsurprisingly, with protest, as disability rights advocates continued their strong opposition to Republican efforts to cutting Medicaid, a key plank of Graham-Cassidy.
In spite of last minute changes to the bill to try to persuade Senators who haven’t publicly opposed it, the committee hearing put a spotlight on the bill’s long list of shortcomings, and perhaps unintentionally provided a showcase for why the legislation is struggling to win a majority of votes, from its emphasis on block grants for Medicaid to re-introducing coverage penalties for those with pre-existing condition.
Despite this, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), one of the bill’s chief sponsors, offered a number of arguments intended to win back support that critics called misleading. Cassidy noted, for example, that states could expand Medicaid if they desired to do so – despite the fact that his bill repeals expansion eligibility, and it’s unclear what steps states would have to take to restart expansion.
Late last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) removed himself from that list of undecided Senators by publicly stating that he couldn’t vote for a bill like Graham-Cassidy that hadn’t gone through regular order and had only garnered support from members of one political party.
Finally, as the day came to a close, the Congressional Budget Office once again weighed in and found that this version of repeal-and-replace, much like previous versions, would strip care away from millions of Americans, though it could not be more specific due to the wide latitude the legislation would give to states, particularly regarding cuts to Medicaid. As she did in late July, Sen. Susan Collins also announced her opposition, potentially dooming Graham-Cassidy once and for all.
ANA formally announced its opposition, and continues to urge all nurses and advocates who care about strengthening affordable care to reach out to their Senators by clicking here.
