Here are six things to know.
1. Ms. MacDonough is the first female Senate parliamentarian and has served in the role since 2012.
2. The House passed the American Health Care Act May 4. Now Ms. MacDonough and her staff will decide whether Republicans can use the budget reconciliation process to pass the AHCA in the Senate, reports The Washington Post.
3. Under the budget reconciliation process, Republicans would only need 50 “yes” votes from GOP members to pass the healthcare bill, assuming no Democrats vote for the bill and Vice President Mike Pence casts a tiebreaking vote. However, the report notes the budget reconciliation process may only be used for tax or expenditure items, as well as other items related to federal spending. This could exclude some parts of the AHCA.
4. Ms. MacDonough will decide whether any parts of the healthcare bill don’t fit the mold for the budget reconciliation process. These parts, if any, would be taken out and lawmakers could consider a shorter version of the legislation, reports The Washington Post.
5. The Washington Post cites numerous parts of the AHCA that could be rejected by Ms. MacDonough. These include allowing states to seek federal waivers from the ACA’s essential health benefits requirement and community rating rule, which bars insurers from charging different premiums “based on age, gender, health status or other factors.” Some Republicans have contended these insurer regulations are indirectly related to federal spending because “premiums would be affected and therefore the amount of subsidies the government must pay out” is as well, according to the report.
6. David Schiappa, who worked closely with Ms. MacDonough as secretary for Senate GOP members, told The Washington Post she “is in my view completely unbiased and she cares about the institution and she follows the precedent that has been established.”
Read the full report here.
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Week in review: 9 biggest healthcare stories this week
Viewpoint: The CBO score of the revised AHCA — Implications for hospitals
GOP senators begin drafting healthcare bill: 4 things to know
