The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress, which aimed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, but it never became law as it was not passed by the Senate. The AHCA would have partially repealed the ACA, dramatically cut Medicaid spending and eligibility, eliminated tax credits for healthcare costs, and altered rules concerning pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Name | American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) |
Nicknames | Ryancare, Trumpcare, Republicare, Obamacare-Lite, Wealthcare |
Year | 2017 |
Bill Number | H.R. 1628 |
Date Passed in House | May 4, 2017 |
Date Passed in Senate | N/A |
Passed by | United States House of Representatives |
Not Passed by | United States Senate |
Sponsor | Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district |
Party | Republican |
Congress | 115th |
President | Donald Trump |
Previous Law | Affordable Care Act (ACA) |
Previous Law Nickname | Obamacare |
What You'll Learn
- The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, but not by the Senate
- The AHCA was a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood
- The AHCA would have partially repealed the ACA, dramatically cutting Medicaid spending and eligibility, and eliminating tax credits for healthcare costs
- The AHCA was nicknamed Trumpcare, Ryancare, Republicare, and pejoratively as Obamacare-Lite and Wealthcare
- The AHCA was a significant issue in the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and defeat of several of the bill's supporters
The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, but not by the Senate
The bill passed the House by a close vote of 217 to 213. All House Democrats, along with several members of the centrist Tuesday Group and some other House Republicans, voted against the AHCA. The bill then moved to the Senate, which sought to pass alternative healthcare bills containing provisions largely similar to those of the AHCA. However, these bills also failed to pass in the Senate due to opposition from Republican senators.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected that the AHCA would have increased the number of uninsured people by 23 million over ten years. Polling consistently showed that the AHCA was deeply unpopular with the American population, and it was strongly condemned by major medical organizations. The failure to pass the AHCA was a significant issue in the midterm elections the following year, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and the defeat of several of the bill's supporters for re-election.
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The AHCA was a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood
The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was a bill proposed by the Republican Party in 2017, during the presidency of Donald Trump, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, but it did not pass in the Senate.
The AHCA was introduced in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on March 8, 2017, and passed by both committees the following day. The bill then went to the House Budget Committee, which approved it on March 16, before being sent to the Rules Committee.
The AHCA was a leading proposal by House Republicans to repeal major parts of the ACA, including the Medicaid expansion and many taxes, while keeping other parts of the ACA intact, such as the exchanges. The bill also sought to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood, mainly through Medicaid, for one year.
The AHCA was brought to the House and Senate floors under the rules of the budget reconciliation process, which allows one bill each year to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass with a simple majority in the Senate. However, during Senate proceedings, the bill was ruled out of order for having provisions that were not related to the budget, and it ultimately did not pass in the Senate.
The failure of the AHCA was a significant issue in the midterm elections the following year, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and the defeat of several supporters of the bill.
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The AHCA would have partially repealed the ACA, dramatically cutting Medicaid spending and eligibility, and eliminating tax credits for healthcare costs
The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), also known as Ryancare, was a bill in the 115th United States Congress that sought to partially repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives but failed to pass the Senate.
The AHCA would have dramatically cut Medicaid spending and eligibility. It would have reduced federal funding for Medicaid, resulting in states making eligibility changes that would make it harder to qualify for and enrol in Medicaid coverage. States would also likely consider capping or limiting enrolment and cutting payments, making it more difficult for people with Medicaid to access care.
The AHCA would have also eliminated tax credits for healthcare costs. The bill's elimination of the ACA's subsidies would have resulted in a sharp rise in premiums, as people would have to pay more for health insurance. This would have particularly impacted people with low to moderate incomes.
The bill's partial repeal of the ACA would have had far-reaching consequences. It was projected that the AHCA would have increased the number of uninsured people by 23 million over ten years, with an estimated 49 million people uninsured by 2026. This would have included a loss of health insurance coverage for 16 million people enrolled in the ACA marketplace and 22 million people enrolled in Medicaid expansion coverage.
The AHCA would have also cut taxes for high-income individuals, with those earning over $200,000 per year receiving a reduction of $5,680 in annual taxes on average.
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The AHCA was nicknamed Trumpcare, Ryancare, Republicare, and pejoratively as Obamacare-Lite and Wealthcare
The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) was introduced in the US House of Representatives in 2017. The bill, also known as Trumpcare, was a proposal to amend and partially repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare. The AHCA was passed by the House but did not make it through the Senate.
The AHCA was nicknamed Trumpcare because it was introduced by Republicans in the House of Representatives as a replacement plan for the ACA. The bill was passed in the House on May 4, 2017, with the support of President Donald Trump.
The AHCA was also nicknamed Ryancare because it was written by Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House at the time. The bill was withdrawn from consideration after Ryan met with Trump and told him that the bill did not have enough votes to pass in the House.
The AHCA was also called Republicare because it was a Republican proposal. The bill was passed in the House with the support of 217 Republican Congressmen.
The AHCA was also nicknamed Obamacare-Lite and Wealthcare in a pejorative manner. The AHCA was intended to repeal and replace Obamacare, but it was seen by some as a watered-down version of the ACA. The AHCA was criticised for seeking to eliminate federal spending and being against the individual and employer mandates associated with Obamacare.
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The AHCA was a significant issue in the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and defeat of several of the bill's supporters
The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) was a significant issue in the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and the defeat of several of the bill's supporters. The AHCA was a bill in the 115th United States Congress, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States Senate. The bill would have partially repealed the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The AHCA was introduced by House Republicans in early 2017 and passed the House in a close vote on May 4, 2017. All House Democrats, along with several members of the centrist Tuesday Group and some other House Republicans, voted against the AHCA. The bill would have repealed the individual mandate and the employer mandate, dramatically cut Medicaid spending and eligibility, eliminated tax credits for healthcare costs, abolished some taxes on high earners, and altered rules concerning pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits.
The AHCA was a significant issue in the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and the defeat of several of the bill's supporters. Members of Congress who voted for the AHCA were more likely to lose their re-election bids. The Niskanen Center stated that the GOP's support for AHCA in 2017 was a major factor in the party's heavy House losses in the 2018 midterm elections, costing the party its majority in the House. Snopes publicly identified 33 House Republicans who were voted out of office largely due to their votes in favour of the AHCA, including in states where Republicans control most House seats, such as Kansas and Utah.
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Frequently asked questions
The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. It was a proposal by House Republicans to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
No, the AHCA did not become law. It was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States Senate.
The AHCA would have partially repealed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It would have repealed the individual mandate and the employer mandate, cut Medicaid spending and eligibility, eliminated tax credits for healthcare costs, abolished some taxes on high earners, and altered rules concerning pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits.
The AHCA was voted against by all House Democrats, as well as several members of the centrist Tuesday Group and some other House Republicans. It was also deeply unpopular with the American population, with polling showing it was the least popular major bill in decades.
The 115th Congress ultimately did not pass an ACA repeal bill. The AHCA was a significant issue in the midterm elections the following year, which saw the election of a Democratic House majority and the defeat of several of the bill's supporters for re-election.