http://democracynow.org
- As President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan face a showdown with
Republicans, both moderate and conservative, on whether to repeal
Obamacare, the party has been scrambling to rewrite the legislation in
order to appease members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus and win its
passage. The latest version of the bill strips away provisions that
would require health insurers to provide basic services including
maternity care, newborn care, emergency services, mental health and
addiction treatment. The Democratic Caucus has been united in opposition
to the bill, which is projected to leave 24 million fewer people
insured by 2026 than under Obamacare. The bill also includes over $275
billion in tax breaks for wealthy Americans. We are joined by John
McDonough, professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is the
former executive director of Health Care for All in Massachusetts, which
played a key role in the passage of the 2006 Massachusetts health
reform bill, which was known as Romneycare. He later became a top aide
to the late Senator Ted Kennedy and worked on the development and
passage of the Affordable Care Act.