The GOP war on healthcare update

Political Wire - “Americans who swept President Trump to victory — lower-income, older voters in conservative, rural parts of the country — stand to lose the most in federal healthcare aid under a Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act,” according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of county voting and tax credit data. “Among those hit the hardest under the current House bill are 60-year-olds with annual incomes of $30,000. In nearly 1,500 counties nationwide, such a person stands to lose more than $6,000 a year in federal insurance subsidies. Ninety percent of those counties backed Trump, the analysis shows.”

Business Insider - Part of the GOP’s plan involves reducing state Medicaid costs, a program that gives low-income individuals and families access to health coverage that was expanded under Obamacare in many states. But what is the GOP plan’s numero uno idea for cutting state Medicaid costs? Taking on, you know, your everyday lottery winner or, more technically, "letting states disenroll high dollar lottery winners.”

If that seems absurd, just know that the word lottery was mentioned 11 times in the GOP health care plan. The important issue of Medicaid got equal attention with 11 mentions. A full six pages of the 60-plus page bill were devoted to lottery winnings. Lottery winnings! Essentially, the GOP bill's big idea on this—to which it devoted nearly 10 percent of its attention—is figuring out ways to make sure lottery-winners on Medicaid can't cheat the system.