March 21, 2017

Trumpcare 2.0 Still Isn’t Cruel Enough to Satisfy Conservatives

Paul Ryan’s latest health care changes would hurt poor people. But apparently that’s not enough.

Alex Brandon/AP

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


After conservatives in the House threatened to block the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) released an amendment Monday night aimed at cutting even more benefits for the poor. The Republican plan would now make enrolling in Medicaid even more difficult, with states encouraged to add a work requirement for adults who want to get insurance. States would also now be allowed to accept Medicaid as a block grant—a system that would allow state governments to offer fewer health insurance benefits.

Ryan’s changes have the support of President Donald Trump, but they apparently don’t go far enough to appease right-wing activists. Heritage Action, a prominent conservative advocacy group tied to the Heritage Foundation think tank, announced Tuesday that it is still doesn’t think the GOP plan goes far enough in repealing Obamacare. The organization says it plans to pressure house Republicans to vote against the bill when it comes to the floor. (The vote is currently scheduled for Thursday.)

Michael Needham, Heritage Action’s CEO, said on Twitter that the group “will be keyvoting against” the bill in its annual scorecard for members of Congress. To translate that into non-Washington speak, the group will downgrade its rating of any lawmaker who votes for the GOP plan.

According to a tabulation by the New York Times, there are currently 48 Republicans in the House who are hesitant about voting for the bill or are outright opposed. Assuming every Democrat votes against the measure, Trumpcare will go down in defeat if just 22 Republicans vote no on the bill. That would be just one more set-back for Ryan’s keg-fueled dreams of slashing Medicaid.

Update 4:04 p.m. ET: The Koch-funded advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity joined in the hatefest opposing the GOP’s repeal and replace plan.

Take the next step: Help us fight for the truth.

Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

Take the next step: Help us fight for the truth.

Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate