If it becomes a law, here is what the new health care bill will mean By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.08.17 Word Count 648 Level 560L President Donald Trump (left), accompanied by Republicans members of the House of Representatives, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 4, 2017, after the House pushed through a health care bill. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Republicans voted on a new law last week. The law would get rid of "Obamacare." This was the healthcare plan created by President Barack Obama. Republicans and Democrats are the two main political groups in the United States. They do not always get along. Obama is a Democrat. President Donald Trump and most of the lawmakers in Congress are Republicans. Republicans have their own health care plan. It would make big changes. Their plan would get rid of a popular part of "Obamacare." This part of "Obamacare" helps sick people get health insurance. Back in March, lawmakers were going to vote on the Republican plan. At the last minute, the vote was canceled. It was not going to get enough votes. President Trump was disappointed. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Last week, some lawmakers revised the bill. It passed in the House of Representatives. It is not a law yet, though. The bill still has to pass in the Senate. The president has to sign it. Without Insurance, Health Care Is Too Expensive This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Health insurance pays for doctor's visits and medicine. The way it works is that people pay an insurance company. They pay money even when they are healthy. Many other people are also paying. Not everyone will get sick, though. They do not all need to use the money. When someone with insurance gets sick, they get to use the money. Without insurance, health care is very expensive. There is one problem with health insurance. It can be hard to find for people who are already sick. That is because their treatment can be very expensive. Insurance companies do not want to pay for it. They used to be able to turn people away if they were already sick. "Obamacare" solved this problem. It told insurance companies that they had to give insurance to everyone. That means everyone can afford to go to the doctor. But the Republican plan would change this. It would make people who are already sick pay much more for insurance. In some cases, they might not be able to afford it. States Will Make Many Decisions About Health Insurance As it stands, the plan leaves many decisions up to the states. Republicans often like the idea of putting more power in the hands of state governments. They do not like that Obamacare requires people to get insurance. They think people should be able to choose what they pay for. Democrats disagree. They think that every person should have access to health care. It should be available at a price people can afford. This means the government has to help cover the costs. In the Republican plan, states will get to make their own insurance programs for sick people. These are called "high-risk pools." The plan gives states $8 billion for these pools. Experts, however, say that this is not enough money. Before "Obamacare," 30 states had these pools. There were many problems with them. The states did not have enough money to cover their patients' costs. They had long waiting lists. Some people could not go to the doctor when they needed to. New Plan Could Change Before The Senate Votes It is hard to say just what the new plan will mean for patients. The plan is not a law yet. It could change before the Senate votes on it. The plan also lets states make some big choices on their own. Many people who have health problems are worried. Adrienne Standley works at a clothing company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She gets her health insurance through "Obamacare." Standley has asthma. She is afraid the Republican plan will make it too expensive to go to the doctor. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
"I'm scared to lose coverage," she said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
Quiz 1 Read the following paragraph from the section "Without Insurance, Health Care Is Too Expensive." "Obamacare" solved this problem. It told insurance companies that they had to give insurance to everyone. That means everyone can afford to go to the doctor. But the Republican plan would change this. It would make people who are already sick pay much more for insurance. In some cases, they might not be able to afford it. What is the focus of this paragraph? how insurance companies would like to give insurance to everyone how the Republican plan would be different from "Obamacare" why Republicans wanted to get rid of part of "Obamacare" why some sick people cannot afford to go to the doctor 2 Which sentence from the article is MOST important to include in its summary? Back in March, lawmakers were going to vote on the Republican plan. They pay money even when they are healthy. In the Republican plan, states will get to make their own insurance programs for sick people. Adrienne Standley works at a clothing company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 3 What is Adrienne Standley's point of view about the new Republican health care plan? She is afraid that it will not become a law in Pennsylvania. She thinks she will have better coverage than "Obamacare." She is afraid that it will change before the Senate votes on it. She thinks she will not be able to afford to go to the doctor. 4 Which statement would Democrats be MOST likely to agree with? The Senate should make the new Republican plan a law. State governments should make the decisions about insurance. Healthy people should not be asked to pay for insurance. Even sick people should have access to affordable health care. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
Answer Key 1 Read the following paragraph from the section "Without Insurance, Health Care Is Too Expensive." "Obamacare" solved this problem. It told insurance companies that they had to give insurance to everyone. That means everyone can afford to go to the doctor. But the Republican plan would change this. It would make people who are already sick pay much more for insurance. In some cases, they might not be able to afford it. What is the focus of this paragraph? how insurance companies would like to give insurance to everyone how the Republican plan would be different from "Obamacare" why Republicans wanted to get rid of part of "Obamacare" why some sick people cannot afford to go to the doctor 2 Which sentence from the article is MOST important to include in its summary? Back in March, lawmakers were going to vote on the Republican plan. They pay money even when they are healthy. In the Republican plan, states will get to make their own insurance programs for sick people. Adrienne Standley works at a clothing company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 3 What is Adrienne Standley's point of view about the new Republican health care plan? She is afraid that it will not become a law in Pennsylvania. She thinks she will have better coverage than "Obamacare." She is afraid that it will change before the Senate votes on it. She thinks she will not be able to afford to go to the doctor. 4 Which statement would Democrats be MOST likely to agree with? The Senate should make the new Republican plan a law. State governments should make the decisions about insurance. Healthy people should not be asked to pay for insurance. Even sick people should have access to affordable health care. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 8