nope ..
WASHINGTON — Bipartisanship is suddenly the talk of Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats are now expressing a tentative desire to join hands after a brutal debate over Obamacare repeal.
In the House, the "Problem Solvers" caucus, which consists of 43 members from both parties, put out a list of broad principles for a series of Obamacare tweaks.
"My hope is we can be responsible legislators and recognize we can take on those cost issues, we can take on the issue of health care, but let's do it together," said Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., who chairs the caucus, in an interview Tuesday.
The group's proposals include guaranteeing cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers, adding funding to help insurers cover expensive patients, partially repealing Obamacare's requirement for businesses to offer health benefits, and scrapping the law's tax on medical devices.
They also offered options to pay for the package, such as encouraging the use of generic drugs in Medicare. The cost could be a significant stumbling block to passage since it's likely the proposal would "significantly increase the deficit," according to Matthew Fiedler, a fellow at the Brookings Instutition.
In the Senate, Republican and Democratic leaders on the health committee announced in a joint statement that they would hold hearings early next month on how to calm Obamacare's tumultuous insurance markets.
"In my opinion, any solution that Congress passes for a 2018 stabilization package would need to be small, bipartisan and balanced," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the committee's chairman, in a statement.
deal with it ... ACA is the law.
Republicans chair the committee.
