House Votes to Gut Healthcare, Citing 'Cost Concerns'
When House Republicans successfully passed a health bill that gut critical Affordable Care Act subsidies, leaving 20 million Americans facing doubled premiums, Axios reports it's due to 'concerns about cost.' Meanwhile, that same week, Congress found billions for other priorities. The Congressional Budget Office confirms this bill would hike the uninsured population by 100,000, saving a 'mere'
$35.6 billion over ten years. That's pocket change compared to the $14 billion just approved for Israel's military in February 2024, a measure overwhelmingly supported by these same cost-conscious Republicans. Speaker Mike Johnson, who took over $50,000 from defense contractors in 2023 (Source: OpenSecrets.org) , called ACA subsidies 'wasteful spending that only hides the true cost of the failed
law.' But apparently, the 'true cost' of life-saving medical care is only a problem when it benefits average Americans, not foreign militaries or pharmaceutical giants. One might wonder if the concern about 'cost' disappears when the checks from special interests clear.