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Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Obamacare Repeal Law Passed by Last Congress

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Published on: March 9, 2017

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) reintroduced the very legislation to repeal the major components of Obamacare that was passed by Congress and sent to Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Soebarkah’s desk in January 2016.

The bill is S. 554, the Obamacare Repeal Act.

Among the items in the bill are the following:

  • Repeals the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), which gives $2 billion a year to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to spend however they like. The PPHF has also been called the “Obamacare Slush Fund.”
  • Eliminates the penalties associated with Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates to purchase health coverage, effectively ending the mandates.
  • Repeals the Medical Device Tax beginning in 2018.
  • Repeals the Cadillac Tax in 2020, stopping it from going into effect.
  • Prevents the HHS Secretary from making payments under Obamacare’s reinsurance program, which is one of the ways the law has provided a bailout to insurance companies.
  • Repeals Obamacare’s Premium Tax Credits and Cost-Sharing Subsidies, effective after 2019.
  • Repeals Obamacare’s Penalties on Health Savings Accounts – Obamacare placed new limits and restrictions on contributions to HSAs, MSAs, HRAs, and FSAs. It also restricted the allowable expenses for which a consumer can use these accounts.
  • Repeals Other Obamacare Taxes – Includes repeals of the health insurance tax (HIT), the annual fee on manufacture and import of pharmaceuticals, the Medicare surtax, excise tax on indoor tanning, net investment tax, remuneration, and economic substance doctrine. It would also restore the medical expenses deduction.
  • Eliminates eligibility for the Medicaid expansion as of 2020 and the associated enhanced federal matching rate. The bill would also repeal the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital reductions.

“The Republican Party is unified on Obamacare repeal,” said Dr. Paul. “We can honor our promise right away by passing the same language we acted on in the last Congress. Then, we can have a separate vote on replacement legislation that will deliver lower costs, better care, and greater access to the American people.”

Along with Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), Paul called for the 2015 reconciliation bill to be the minimum standard in repealing Obamacare.

Paul introduced the Obamacare Replacement Act (S. 222) in January 2017.  The bill would make it so Americans could:

  1. Choose inexpensive insurance free of government dictates;
  2. Save unlimited amounts in  a health savings account (HSA) and have wider options for using those funds;
  3. Buy insurance across state lines; and
  4. Join together in voluntary associations to gain the leverage of being part of a large insurance pool.

Take a look at the one-page summary of his bill.  While it is definitely more of a free market plan, there is still issues like Medicaid that need to be addressed for elimination.  After all, it’s a government entitlement which needs to be removed.  Much of what is put forward though is actually the right way to solve the issue.  For that, I’m glad.

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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