With the prospects for passing the current Senate GOP health care bill still in jeopardy, Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, are working with their GOP colleagues on an alternative approach to replacing Obamacare.
CNN reports the plan would keep much of the federal taxes included in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in place and send that money to the states to control.
Graham and Cassidy, who have been working closely with former Sen. Rick Santorum, argue that one of the main reasons Republicans are having such a hard time agreeing on a health care bill is because they are working from the Obamacare template—particularly federal control of health insurance.
“The reason we can’t pass a bill is because we are trying to do it in Washington, so stop it,” Santorum, a CNN contributor, says.
Additionally, the version of the Republican bill first unveiled last month has turned out to be a tough sell back home because it repeals Obamacare taxes, effectively giving wealthier Americans a tax cut, while also making cuts to Medicaid, which now helps many afford health insurance.
At the same time that Graham is unveiling his plan, GOP Senate leaders are expected to release publicly a new version of their proposal this morning.
