This week, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a 217-213 margin. The AHCA revises the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. Next, it will be sent to the Senate for a vote, where it should encounter even more vociferous criticism. Despite the hysterical cries of Affordable Care Act supporters, the AHCA makes minor changes around the fringes. The fundamental idea behind the legislation is the same, though the individual and employer mandates have been removed and direct ACA taxes have been removed. Replacing the individual mandate is a 30% penalty if people enroll in an insurance program after not holding coverage continuously. From listening to much of the left over the past two days, you would think that the AHCA has already passed into law and that government’s role in health care has been completely removed. I try to bring some unemotional discussion to the table in this episode.

Thanks for supporting us through episode 50. Most podcasts fizzle out somewhere in the single digits, so I am proud to have gotten to 50 episodes. Hopefully the next 50 are just as fun to do.

Suggested Reading/Referenced Articles:
Podcast: “Episode 43: Obamacare Replacement Just More of the Same” – Mark Geise Show
Podcast: “Episode 35: Health Care Cannot Be a Right” – Mark Geise Show
“Text – H.R.1628 – American Health Care Act of 2017” – Congress.gov
“Kurt Eichenwald: I Want Republicans To Watch Their Families ‘Lose Insurance’ And ‘Die’” – Daily Caller
Podcast: “Ep. 481 How Capitalism Can Fix Health Care” – Tom Woods Show
“No, the AHCA Doesn’t Make Rape a Preexisting Condition” – Reason