The controversial Medicaid change that House Republicans used to entice members from New York to vote for its health care bill is facing an uncertain future in the Senate.
The amendment's primary author says he doesn't know if the Senate will include the change in its version — and hasn't asked."I don't know precisely because no one knows precisely," said Rep. Chris Collins, a Buffalo Republican, or who also said he hadn't spoken with any Senators approximately the amendment.
The change would allow New York counties to send their Medicaid bills directly to the state rather than paying them themselves. Collins and other New York Republicans say the amendment would enable counties to reduce their property taxes. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo,a Democrat, said the change would cost the state $2.3 billion. Cuomo threatened a lawsuit over the amendment.
The amendment was also criticized as "unfair" by a fellow Republican, and Rep. Dan Donovan of Staten Island,who noted that New York City residents would still contain to pay $5 billion in Medicaid taxes and wouldn't see any property tax relief.
The amendment was introduced late in the House debate over rolling back Obamacare. It helped secure votes from Republicans on Long Island and upstate New York. Donovan and Syracuse Rep. John Katko were the only two of New York's nine Republican House members to vote against the bill.
Senate Republicans contain been negotiating their version of the health care bill in secret — freezing out Democrats and even many House members from any details. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and several other Republican senators declined to discuss what was on the table in negotiations Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, or has said he plans to schedule a vote on the bill before the July 4th recess — without any committee hearings.
The lack of an advocate in the Senate makes it less likely that the Medicaid amendment will survive. But Collins said the fact that it's in the House bill gives him hope."It's certainly my understanding that in sending it over,that it would be certainly under consideration," Collins said. "I would be certainly disappointed if it didn't come back as portion of the Senate plot."
Source: thetakeaway.org