1. What are the main differences between the new plan and the ACA? The GOP proposal would scrap Obamacare's tax penalties on individuals and large employers and "replace income-based subsidies ... with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes," The Associated Press reported. And the new plan would no longer require insurers to "cover 10 categories of 'essential health benefits'" and instead let states decide, according to the AP.
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2. Which Obamacare provisions remain in the House GOP plan? The proposal would let children stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26, maintain some consumer protections and keep a ban on annual or lifetime coverage limits. It also protects people who have pre-existing conditions – with a catch: "They'd have to maintain 'continuous coverage,' and a significant break could lead to a 30 percent penalty on top of their premiums, for up to a year," the AP reported.
3. Would the new plan cover as many people as the ACA? Probably not. Although official estimates haven't been released, "aides from both parties and nonpartisan analysts have said they expect those numbers to be lower" than the 20 million covered under Obamacare, the AP reported.
4. What's next? According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "a pair of House committees is scheduled to take up the legislation later this week. GOP leaders are looking to advance it by Easter."
5. What are people saying? Many GOP lawmakers withheld their judgment.
"I'm excited that they're beginning to expose some of the thinking behind this," Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said, according to the AJC. "We don't have all the pieces to it yet, obviously, but the mandates — that's a no-brainer … I'm going to wait and see the rest of it."
“The Republican repeal bill would rip health care away from millions of Americans, ration care for working families and seniors, and put insurance companies back in charge of health care decisions – contrary to everything President Trump has said he would do with his health care plan,” said Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Richard Neal of Massachusetts.
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