GOP plan promotes health reforms, 21st Century Cures

In a health reform plan released on Wednesday, U.S. House Republicans proposed repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and implementing some programs the GOP has advocated over the last decade, including providing the uninsured with a "universal advanceable, refundable tax credit" to purchase health insurance. The plan, which does not include information on how much implementation would cost or how it would be funded, proposes eliminating the ACA's expansion of Medicaid and allowing states to choose a per capita allotment or a block grant to expand coverage.

The plan endorses the 21st Century Cures Act ( H.R. 6), which has passed the House and is stalled in the Senate, and calls for additional reforms to speed the development of new therapies. These include providing NIH with a "robust, steady level of discretionary funding while increasing accountability and supporting young, emerging scientists working on cutting-edge research." It does not specify the amount of funding or how research accountability would be increased. ...