Rounds, Thune encouraged by Senate GOP’s health plan
Both
"The draft health care bill released today will help stabilize markets that are already collapsing, improve the affordability of health care, preserve access to care for those with pre-existing conditions, and sustain Medicaid while also ensuring that those who rely on the program do not have the rug pulled out from under them," Thune said in a statement on Thursday.
The bill, dubbed the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, was crafted behind closed-doors without cooperation from
Rounds was encouraged by the proposal, which he deemed a "working model," and he said Senate Majority Leader
And Rounds, who has a knack for hosting media calls on some of
"We actually intend, believe it or not, to read this legislation before we vote on it," Rounds joked. "That's kind of a new deal here in
He also said he's set on making sure the plan is right for South Dakotans.
"We want to make sure that the provisions included in this bill are good for South Dakotans before we take a vote on it, and that's the same that we're going to do with any legislation," Rounds said.
Without the plan, Rounds said South Dakotans would see their health insurance premiums continue to rise. Over the last four years, according to Rounds,
The plan follows a
"The real question is whether or not we can get to 50 votes with our current product and whether or not the vice president's in town, because it's going to take 50 votes plus the vice president to break a tie in order to make this work," Rounds said.
With 52
As far as Rounds' priorities if the bill is changed, he'd like to see the promotion of group health insurance, which he said is highly successful.
For conservatives who may dislike the plan due to the gradually rolled back Medicaid expenses, Rounds suggested they compare the
And for Thune, now is the time to act on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
"It's time to rescue Americans from the mess that Obamacare created," Thune said.
___
(c)2017 The Daily Republic (Mitchell, S.D.)
Visit The Daily Republic (Mitchell, S.D.) at www.mitchellrepublic.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
EDITORIAL: Medicaid cuts would be a devastating blow for rural America
Deeper Medicaid cuts in Senate bill draw resistance from disabled
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News