In case you missed it, late last night Senator Susan Collins conceded that despite the many commitments and assurances she said she received from the White House and Republican leaders in Congress, the health insurance marketplace stabilization measures she promised would pass in exchange for her support of the GOP tax bill appear to not be happening.
The following is a timeline of Senator Collins’ comments about the commitments and assurances she received, in case, like many, you’re having a difficult time keeping track of her broken promises and passed deadlines:
A HISTORY OF BROKEN PROMISES
11/19/17: Senator Collins says repeal of the individual mandate in the tax bill is “the biggest mistake”:
“Collins called that repeal provision ‘the biggest mistake’ in the Senate's tax bill. ‘I hope it will be dropped,’ she said.”
11/30/17: Senator Collins says health care stabilization bills will be voted on before the tax bill:
“Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said early Thursday that she expects legislation to lower health-care premiums to pass Congress before senators take a final vote on a $1.5 trillion tax-reform bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. Collins, speaking to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast, said it’s a mistake to scrap the individual mandate without making other reforms to the health-care system."
12/01/17: Saying she has commitments to pass her stabilization bills, Senator Collins announces support for the GOP tax bill, despite previous statement saying the stabilization bills will pass first:
“Having secured these key improvements in the bill, as well as the commitments to legislation to help lower health insurance premiums, I will cast my vote in support of the Senate tax reform bill.”
12/10/17: Senator Collins alleges that she has commitments from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan to pass her bills:
“Sen. Susan Collins said she has a written agreement from Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to honor the promises made to her for her vote on tax reform.
“‘I'm absolutely confident, I have it in writing, a statement by both Mitch McConnell and Speaker Ryan,’ she said.”
12/12/17: Senator Collins said stabilization bills will be voted on before the end of the year and that she has received reassurances Tuesday from Vice President Pence:
“Funding for key ObamaCare insurer subsidies is likely to be included in the upcoming government funding bill, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday. Collins said she had received reassurances Tuesday from Vice President Pence that the subsidies, opposed by House conservatives, would be in the funding bill.
“‘The vice president and I had a discussion yesterday that reinforced that agreement that the bills will be considered before the end of the year,’ Collins said.”
12/16/17: Press questions deal Collins struck, she says the Administration doesn’t want to double-cross her:
“As GOP tax legislation nears final passage, Sen. Susan Collins is approaching the moment for a mighty leap of faith. The Maine Republican extracted key concessions in exchange for her support for the bill, including commitments from the Trump administration and Senate leaders to back two pieces of legislation pumping money into the health care system […]
“‘I’m counting on the administration to make sure that does not happen,’ Collins said in an interview. ‘I would consider it a very serious breach of a promise to me.’
“‘And,’ she added with a laugh, ‘they don’t want to do that.’”
12/19/17: Senator Collins alleges that questions surrounding her judgment on the deal she has made are “sexist”:
“‘I believe that the coverage has been unbelievably sexist, and I cannot believe that the press would have treated another senator with 20 years of experience as they have treated me,’ she told reporters in the Capitol. ‘They’ve ignored everything that I’ve gotten and written story after story about how I’m duped.’”
12/20/17: Senator Collins admits that the end of the year deadline promised was “slipping” and the market stabilization bills will have to wait until next year:
“Collins, in the Press Herald interview Wednesday, contended that she still has commitments of support for the bills from McConnell, Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Collins said she spoke with Ryan for 25 minutes Wednesday to shore up his support. Ryan made positive comments to her about the future of the bills, Collins said in her statement.
“‘(Wednesday) afternoon Speaker Paul Ryan called me and said that the House remains committed to passing legislation to provide for high-risk pools and other reinsurance mechanisms similar to the bipartisan legislation I have introduced,’ Collins said.”
01/06/18: Senator Collins says that her bills will not be considered in January as part of the government funding bill, hopes to get them done “as soon as possible.”:
“The timelines for action on the bills – Collins-Nelson and Alexander-Murray – have changed from the end of 2017 to early 2018, and now Collins has told InsideHealthPolicy.com that the important thing is they be voted on in time to be implemented in 2019, when the ACA’s individual mandate is set to expire.
“‘Senator Collins is going to push hard on these bills until we get them over the line,’ Annie Clark, Collins’ spokeswoman, said Friday. ‘Both of these bills have the support of the president, the vice president and Senate Republican leaders.’”
“Collins told the Press Herald in December that if the commitments on the bills aren’t kept, ‘there will be consequences.’
“Clark confirmed that the bills would not be attached to continuing resolution spending bills that Congress must vote on to keep the government running after Jan. 19. She said Collins is looking for votes as soon as possible after that.”
TWO MONTHS LATER...
3/20/18: Senator Collins shows that she is willing to negotiate away a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions in an effort to woo support of conservatives in the House for her bills. The move is decried by the Maine Medical Association and women’s health care providers criticize:
“U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has joined with Republican colleagues to introduce a bill that they say aims to stabilize health insurance premiums in the individual market. Some elements of the legislation have the backing of national insurance, physician and hospital groups. But one major sticking point is a provision that critics say would effectively eliminate abortion coverage, even in private plans.”
03/20/18: Despite previously-stated assurances from Speaker Ryan, the House does not include Collins’ stabilization measure:
“Congressional leaders and top White House officials on Monday cleared the way for a massive $1.3 trillion spending bill, scrapping several last-minute attempts to tack on controversial policy riders ahead of a Friday deadline to fund the government. Trump administration and Hill GOP sources say the new spending package won't include legislation shoring up Obamacare’s insurance markets. One White House official called it a ‘heavy lift’”
03/21/18: Senator Collins admits her failure to get her deal across the finish lines, blames House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:
“It is extremely disappointing that Speaker Ryan chose not to include our health insurance legislation in the government funding bill due to opposition from Leader Pelosi.”
###