September 22, 2017

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that Americans prefer Obamacare to the latest GOP plan by a 56% to 33% margin.

Also interesting: Roughly twice as many people “strongly prefer” the current law to Republicans’ plan, 42% to 22%.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will vote no on Cassidy-Graham bill, dealing potentially decisive blow to the health-care repeal effort, the Washington Post reports.

Said McCain in a statement: “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will effect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it.”

The New York Times says the decision leaves Republican leaders “with little hope of succeeding in their last-ditch attempt to dismantle the health law.”

A new Brookings Institution study estimates the Cassidy-Graham health care plan would cause 32 million people to lose health coverage in 2027, as compared to current law.

Over the next two years, 15 million would lose coverage.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told the Portland Press Herald she is likely to vote “no” on an Affordable Care Act repeal bill.

Said Collins: “I’m leaning against the bill.”

She added that her biggest problem is the “fine print” which would allow insurers to charge sky-high rates to people with pre-existing conditions: “The premiums would be so high they would be unaffordable.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told the Associated Press that the Republican Obamacare repeal bill is “fake” and that the White House “just wants a legislative victory, they’re not as concerned with the policy” in the bill.

He added that he doesn’t resent President Trump’s Twitter attacks on him for opposing the bill: “I’m a big boy.”

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that only 24% of Americans support the Graham-Cassidy health care bill being considering in the U.S. Senate.

Vox: “Majorities believe that Graham-Cassidy would instead both raise health care costs for most Americans and result in fewer Americans obtaining coverage. Only 20% said they thought the bill would cover more Americans.”

Jonathan Chait: “Graham’s bill gives Alaska especially generous treatment. Haley Byrd reports that Republicans are offering an even more magnanimous bargain — a complete exemption from the deep cuts to Medicaid and tax credits that other states will suffer. Juliet Eilperin reports that the exemption from the cuts would apply to Alaska and Montana only — the two states would qualify on the basis of their low population density. Obamacare would be repealed in the other states, but suspiciously live on in a state whose vote Republican need really badly…”

“Georgetown law professor Brian Galle explains that the Constitution has a uniformity clause — Article I, section 8 of the Constitution says ‘all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.’ The purpose of the clause is to prevent coalitions of states from ganging up on others to impose discriminatory treatment.”

“The clause has not been tested before, but that is only because there are few cases in which the people running the government have passed a law so blatantly discriminatory.”