Daines: Time to move forward on health care reform

Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a telephone press conference Tuesday that he looks forward to the senate debate on possible legislation to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, a debate he voted to start hours earlier.

The vote Tuesday on a motion to proceed allowed debate to begin on amendments that would compose a Republican alternative to President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Despite united opposition from all 48 Democrats and two Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the senate voted 51 to 50 to begin debate. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote.

"The American people have waited seven years to repeal and replace Obamacare, and it is time we move forward to have this debate on the floor of the United States Senate and that is what we voted on today," Daines said.

His fellow senator from Montana had a different take.

"This vote is a slap across the face to hardworking Montanans and rural America. Washington politicians are taking money out of Montanans' pockets, jacking up health care costs, and threatening to close rural hospitals that are the only source of health care for thousands of families," Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, said in a press release after the vote.

Though as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives he did not get a chance to vote on the motion to proceed with the debate, Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., lauded the senate's vote.

"I'm glad the Senate is doing its job," he said in a release after the vote. "Obamacare has been a disaster for Montana's families. Premiums for Montanans have skyrocketed 133 percent since 2013, and many Montanans will see their premiums increase by more than 23 percent next year. Voting to repeal and replace Obamacare is the right thing to do."

Daines said during the press conference that he expects senators from both parties to offer amendments to be included in an eventual bill.

"This will be a very open process we will probably be voting until the wee hours of the morning on numerous amendments coming from both sides about how we best go forward with repealing and replacing Obamacare, and I would add with Montana led, rural led solutions," he said.

One amendment Daines said he will offer is one that would do away with a provision that requires people without health insurance to pay an annual fine. He said data from the Internal Revenue Service from 2014, the most recent year from which the information is available, shows that in the state of Montana 34,250 people paid a total of $7.76 million in fines because they lacked health insurance.

That averages out to slightly less than $227 each.

He added that 40 percent of those individuals had an annual income of $25,000 or less.

Daines said his amendment would do away with the fine and reimburse people for each year they had to pay what he calls "the Obamacare poverty tax."

He added replacement legislation should lower premiums, protect coverage for people with preexisting conditions, preserve Medicaid and empower states to make more decisions regarding healthcare.

"Lets move more of these decisions, these powers back to the states and that is something I think is very important in a replacement plan for Obamacare," he said.

Increased competition would help lower premiums, Daines said. He said an amendment proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, would allow insurance providers to sell health care plans that don't meet some of the minimum coverage standards set under Obamacare, so long as they offer at least one plan that does.

Daines said Medicaid, the joint federal state health care program that has traditionally been for the disabled, poor and pregnant women, but has been expanded to include other segments of the population under Obamacare, is on an unsustainable path.

Montana was one of the states that accepted money from the federal government to expand its medicaid program. The expansion is set to sunset in 2019.

Daines said he has talked to state Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, who spearheaded the effort to expand Medicaid. Daines said Buttrey has told him that he is "very concerned about the viability of Medicaid expansion in Montana."

He said replacement legislation could provide Montanans who have gained coverage through Medicaid expansion " a place to land" when Medicaid expansion sunsets in Montana in 2019.

Daines added that states should be given more flexibility in how they use Medicaid funds to ensure long term viability. He said he would support providing Medicaid money to states in the form of either block grants or per capita funding.

Daines said it remains to be seen if a bill will come out of the process that will pass the Senate.

Tuesday night one proposal failed 57-43, losing the votes of nine Senate Republicans.