McConnell's wheeling and dealing: Out? Some tax breaks for the rich. In? Gimmicks for the poor

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The big bribe that everyone knew Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was going to offer supposed moderate Republicans—$45 billion in opioid addiction treatment—appears to be in the next iteration of Trumpcare. That's along with "more funding to the state stabilization fund, and to make the funding available sooner to states."

That money could be coming from jettisoning the most politically problematic tax cuts that were in the bill.

As he entered the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday morning, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said the party is leaning toward maintaining Obamacare's tax on wealthy individuals’ investments. The GOP would then reallocate that money to assisting low-income peoples’ insurance premiums.

No final decision has been made, Republicans said, but the party is leaning strongly toward reshaping the bill to be less of a tax cut for the wealthy and more to supplying health insurance options to the working poor.

“We are going to figure out a way, I believe, before Friday comes, to greatly enhance the ability of lower-income Americans to buy health insurance on the exchanges that actually covers them. And my sense is the [investment tax] is going to go away,” Corker said. “It’s not an acceptable proposition to have a bill that increases the burden on lower-income citizens and lessens the burden on wealthy citizens.”

Does that mean more Medicaid funding, a continuation of the Medicaid expansion? No. It means "a provision allowing health savings accounts [HSAs] to be used for premiums." Never mind that only people who have extra money left over after their monthly expenses to save as HSAs, and that "high-income households [are] substantially more likely to fund their HSAs fully (with their own dollars and contributions from employers) than were middle- and lower-income filers." HSA will not help lower-income Americans buy health insurance when they can't afford to have HSAs in the first place.

All we need is three Republican senators to block Trumpcare. If you have a GOP senator, we need you to call their office at (202) 224-3121. Demand that they put their constituents above their party. After the call, tell us how the call went.

from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2tp39jy