South Dakota US Senator Mike Rounds says the revised Senate healthcare overhaul bill is a step in the right direction.
The revision was released Thursday morning.
Rounds says the bill should lower the cost of healthcare while continuing to provide access for those who need it.
Senator Mike Rounds says the new revision is a step in the transition away from the Affordable Care Act.
The new healthcare overhaul bill keeps some taxes put in place under the ACA, which earlier versions would have cut. Those tax cuts would have benefited wealthier Americans.
Rounds says those dollars could go towards funding high risk pools, various tax credits, inflation modifications or establishing different Medicaid categories.
He says all of that is up for discussion.
“We’ve got, as we call it, we’ve got some more head room in those by leaving those taxes in for the next 5 to 6 years at least,” Rounds says. “At that point we will still have an honest discussion about whether or not we should sunset them at that time.”
Rounds says he expects several amendments to the bill before the Senate votes on the overhaul.
He says a congressional budget office score should arrive by the beginning of next week.
Because the bill is reconciliatory in nature, the Senate needs 51 votes to pass the overhaul, instead of 60.
The bill still places a cap on Medicaid funding for states. Some state healthcare observers say it would result in billions of dollars less coming to South Dakota.
South Dakota is one of 19 states that decided not to expand Medicaid.
