House Budget Committee advances ACA repeal bill

The House Budget Committee voted 19-17 this morning to advance the American Health Care Act, legislation to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill, which now moves to the House Rules Committee. The bill would, among other changes, eliminate the penalty for noncompliance with the ACA’s individual and employer mandates and replace the law's means-tested advance premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions with tax credits that vary by age for individuals under a certain level of income; end the enhanced Medicaid federal funding for future expansion populations, beginning in 2020, and transition the Medicaid program to a per capita cap funding model; and repeal most of the law’s taxes. AHA in a March 7 letter to House members said it cannot support the bill in its current form. A vote could come on the House floor as soon as next week.