Politics

House Passes Bill To Let People Keep Their Health Care Plans

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The House passed a bill Thursday afternoon that would allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans that don’t live up to Obamacare regulations, with the help of a sizable group of Democrats.

The legislation would again make it legal for insurers to sell group health insurance plans that don’t meet the Affordable Care Act’s minimum requirements — in effect making President Obama’s last-minute, unilateral extension of canceled plans into law.

Twenty-five Democrats joined the majority to vote for the bill, the Employee Health Care Protection Act, a sign that Democrats are still trying to distance themselves from Obamacare and Obama’s failed promise that “if you like your health care law, you can keep it.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that bill would raise close to $1.25 billion in tax revenue over the next ten years, because it will lower employees’ health care premiums and increase their taxable take-home pay.

“This legislation is about keeping a promise and doing right by the American people,” said Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, who introduced the act. “Let’s keep the promise to middle class workers and ensure that if they like their healthcare plan, they can keep it.”

Cassidy, an M.D., is taking on sitting Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in November. Polls out this week show Cassidy with a slight advantage over Landrieu, who supported Obamacare. Landrieu previously introduced legislation in the Senate to allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans despite Obamacare, but a vote hasn’t been scheduled, according to Fox News.

Even if the bill was passed by the Senate — unlikely unless the GOP wins control in November — the White House already promised to veto the bill. The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement Wednesday arguing that the bill would allow insurers to take advantage of customers. (RELATED: WH Says It’ll Veto GOP Obamacare Bill That Would Make Obama’s ‘Administrative Fix’ Law) 

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