Trump wins a battle but may have lost the war

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) Bill, the modified ‘Trumpcare’, that seeks to repeal and replace ‘Obamacare’, needed 216 votes to be passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday. It managed to get a vote more and passed by a narrow margin, with 217 votes for and 213 votes against it.

US President Donald Trump exulted and the Republicans celebrated even as people hit the streets to protest, carrying placards reading: “Shame”. The Bill will have to be passed by the US Senate also, and there are indications that even Republican Senators would be seeking significant changes in the bill.

‘Trumpcare’ is likely to affect the poor, the elderly and the sick, who will have to pay much higher premium for their health insurance. It will also lead to millions of Americans, 26 million by 2026 by one estimate, losing their insurance cover.

‘Trumpcare’ will also reduce premium for the relatively rich and reduce taxes on the rich by as much as $2,00,000. The premium for young, healthy and rich Americans will go down under Trumpcare and the premium for the old, sick, ailing and poor Americans will go up.

Experts observed that while the US President had indeed won a "political battle" in the House, after having to withdraw the Bill in March this year because of opposition, he may actually have lost the war.

Trump’s best bet, they said, is to hope that the Bill does not get through the Senate. If it does, they predicted, the US President will find it difficult to honour his pledge that his healthcare bill would lower premiums, expand choice and cover everyone.

Not only will the Health Care Bill dominate the headlines for the next few months and polarise the country, if the Senate passes the Bill, the Democrats could well wrest control of the House of Representatives in 2018, which will be disastrous for Trump, they hold.

Though the voting largely went as per the party lines, no Democrats backed the Bill and 20 Republicans opposed it, an intense series of negotiations preceded the first step to repeal and replace Obama's landmark Affordable Care Act.

Celebrating his victory, Trump, who has campaigned relentlessly on the pledge to dismantle Obamacare, said he was doing well as president, even though he has been a politician for only a brief time.

"Coming from a different world, and only being a politician for a short period of time, how am I doing? Am I doing OK, I am president. Hey, I am president, do you believe it, right?" he asked the lawmakers.

"This is really an incredible healthcare plan. This has brought the Republican party together," Trump said. "Premiums will be coming down, deductibles will be coming down, but very importantly it's a great plan." He described Obamacare as a "catastrophe" and called his own "a great plan". Obamacare, he added, was "essentially dead."

Indian-American and top healthcare official Seema Verma was seen standing in the front row along with top Republican lawmakers at the White House lawn. Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, described this as a big day for the US. She is believed to be one of the top officials working to replace Obamacare.

The Bill now moves to the Senate, the upper chamber of the US Congress, where it is expected to face difficulties.

With PTI inputs