{"id":2080,"date":"2017-03-07T20:06:34","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T01:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bowdoinglobalist.com\/?p=2080"},"modified":"2017-03-07T20:06:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T01:06:34","slug":"indiana-rand-paul-jones-and-the-temple-of-healthcare-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/students.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-review\/united-states\/indiana-rand-paul-jones-and-the-temple-of-healthcare-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana \u201cRand Paul\u201d Jones and the Temple of Healthcare Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 23, 2015, the United States Senate cast a final vote, 52\u201347, to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The repeal bill, proposed by Congressman Tom Price, was similar to bills proposed by Republicans on a regular basis since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2009. It intended to roll back the major measures of the Affordable Care Act, repealing the Medicaid expansion, removing the individual mandate, and drastically cutting the subsidy for private care. Price\u2019s bill was vetoed by President Obama. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the obstacle of the veto was removed on January 20 this year, Congressional Republicans were suddenly playing with live ammo: faced with the prospect of their bill becoming law, they were less than eager to rush a repeal bill to the president\u2019s desk. The House Freedom Caucus, the Tea Party group in the House representing the right wing of the Republican Party, seemed to insist on nothing less than the 2015 bill. A handful of Senate Republicans, heeding the advice of several Republican governors, wanted to protect measures like the Medicaid expansion. And the president had more or less guaranteed perfect, universal, and inexpensive care. It was not clear that they could reach a compromise that would satisfy everyone, especially given the Republicans\u2019 razor-thin margin in the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether or not the bill that House Republicans introduced on Monday will thread the needle is uncertain. It seems that even they are doubtful. This past weekend\u2019s draft was kept under lock and key, safe from the prying eyes of the media, Senate Republicans <\/span>such as Rand Paul<\/span><\/a> (who spent his weekend spelunking in Congressional basement offices in pursuit of the Ark of the Covenant Bill), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). With Republicans hoping the bill will clear committee <\/span>within the next two days<\/span><\/a>, we will likely find out soon enough. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the president recently learned for the first time, <\/span>healthcare is quite complicated<\/span><\/a>, but the basics of the bill are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n