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Why turning public health care into ‘block grants’ can’t work

Today's block grant plan? The Graham-Cassidy health bill.

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Wednesday — the last GOP plan left standing.

The chances for the bill to pass are slim to none. It needs to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office and cleared by the Senate parliamentarian — the designated health care referee — to see if it adheres to budget rules. Additionally, many critical lawmakers have said that the Senate needs to hold hearings before the bill could ever go to the floor for a vote. The bill is running up against a critical deadline of September 30, the last day the bill could pass with a simple majority.

Even so, the bill serves as a template of where most GOP members would rather see health care reform go. If single payer is the Democratic mantra, then block grant is the Republican’s. Like single payer, funding for block grants is an issue. In fact, diverging from single payer — which looks to provider universal health care — block grants could likely lead to more uninsured adults.

Watch the video above to learn more about how block granting health care works and what that would mean for Americans’ access to care.

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