Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough flagged another issue with the Republican healthcare proposal Thursday, this time about potentially adding a measure to the "skinny repeal" to allow states to waive essential health benefit requirements for payers, according to The New York Times.
The Senate is using the reconciliation process to try to pass a healthcare bill through Congress. This process prevents a filibuster and can be passed with 50 votes instead of 60, but requires all provisions to have a substantial budgetary effect. The provision at issue would allow states to file for a waiver to exempt insurers from covering a set of services predefined under the ACA, like prescription drug coverage. Because this provision would not directly change federal spending and revenue, Ms. MacDonough deemed it a violation of reconciliation rules, according to the report.
Last week Ms. MacDonough challenged three provisions of the Better Care Reconciliation Act for violating Senate rules. The challenged provisions included cuts to Planned Parenthood funding, a ban on using federal subsidies to buy insurance plans that cover abortions and the imposition of a six-month waiting period before individuals can re-enroll in health coverage if they let it lapse.
More articles on leadership and management:
The GOP's 'skinny repeal' plan: 6 things to know
Jeff Bezos replaces Bill Gates as world's richest person
AMA: 'There is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from military service'