What Revived GOP Healthcare Proposal Might Mean for Michigan

“I think there’s a desperation among Republicans to get some kind of win,” says Demko.

Jake Neher/WDET

After multiple failed attempts earlier this year, it appeared that Republican efforts in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act had died once and for all.

Now there’s a new plan crafted by senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy that is reviving Republican hopes to get rid of, or at least scale back, the federal health care law. 

What would the new plan mean for coverage and premiums across the United States? And what would it mean right here in Michigan?

Would the state of Michigan be able to continue its Medicaid expansion program–Healthy Michigan–which insures more than 600,000 low-income people? 

Politico healthcare reporter, Paul Demko, joins Detroit Today and speaks with Stephen Henderson about Republican efforts to get rid of Obamacare. 

“I think there’s a desperation among Republicans to get some kind of win,” says Demko. 

According to Demko, bipartisan talks concerning healthcare were going well, but “really just got scuttled by leadership in the White House.” 

Marianne Udow-Phillips, the director of the Michigan-based Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, also joins the conversation. 

“I think all of the analysis that’s been done by independent analysts says that (repealing the ACA) would jeopardize people with pre-existing conditions,” says Udow-Phillips. 

Click on the audio player above for the full conversation. 

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  • Detroit Today
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