Comment on How the Senate health bill compares to House, 'Obamacare'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Republican health care bill would guarantee immediate assistance for insurance markets that are struggling in many states. Yet overall it would do the same thing as its House counterpart: less federal money for health insurance and a greater likelihood that more Americans will be uninsured. How the Senate bill compares to the House bill and to the Affordable Care Act that Democrat Barack Obama signed into law seven years ago: Medicaid covers some 70 million people, from newborns to elderly nursing home residents. More significantly, ends Medicaid's longtime status as an open-ended entitlement, with Washington paying a share of what each state spends. Exempts spending on special-needs children from cap on federal Medicaid matching contribution. States can seek waivers that would allow insurers to charge higher premiums based on health status under certain circumstances. Premium subsidies are keyed to income, age and geography, and are more tightly focused on lower-income people. Requires all insurance plans to cover services from 10 broad "essential services," including hospitalization, office visits, prescriptions, maternity and childbirth, substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation, and preventive services, including birth control at no additional charge for women. Medicaid expansion has enabled many states to provide comprehensive treatment to people caught in the opioid epidemic. Creates $2 billion fund to provide grants to states for substance abuse and mental health treatment. Raised taxes on upper-income people and health care companies to finance coverage expansion. Private health insurance plans sold to people who receive federal subsidies can cover abortion. Forbids abortion coverage by private plans sold to people who receive taxpayer subsidies. [...] under Senate rules, there's a chance abortion restrictions on private insurance plans may be struck down. Billions of dollars to stabilize state health insurance markets would be funneled through the Children's Health Insurance Program, which already has strong limitations on abortion funding.