EDITORIAL: Promises made to Collins for tax bill support are slipping. That’s reason for concern.
In exchange for her support for the
On Wednesday, Collins and Sen.
"I think the policy is more important than the deadline, and the deadline is slipping. And I am the first to say that I am not happy about that, that I'm disappointed about that," Collins told the
With the timeline already slipping, we fear other aspects of McConnell's pledges will falter as well.
"It looks like the Christmas present of lower health insurance premiums will now have to be a
This isn't a lighthearted matter. The repeal of the individual mandate will leave 13 million Americans without health insurance and raise insurance premiums by 10 percent, according to the
Nor is it simply a matter of the timetable changing. Already, Trump and other
But, he said, tax bill supporters wanted to keep that quiet because people might not like it.
We'd like to share Collins' confidence that these measure soon will be passed by
Republican congressional leaders tried repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act over the summer. Collins was one of three Republican senators who blocked the repeal; all three were hailed as heroes. Yet, just months later, all three supported the
And, no matter the timetable, some
Collins wanted support of provisions to restart federal payments to health insurers that reduce the cost of insurance premiums for low-income families and to create high-risk pools to continue coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.
The provisions are aimed at reducing the impact of repealing the individual mandate. Analyses of the provisions reached differing conclusions. A recent analysis by
Collins initially hoped for a vote on the provisions before voting on the tax bill. Instead, she accepted assurances from McConnell that he would bring the measures up for a vote before the end of the year and that he would support their passage.
With this promise already evaporating, we fear that Collins' work to shore up a weakened Affordable Care Act will continue to be met with resistance and delays.
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