The revisions probably do just reflect McConnell Christmas tree strategy to buy off recalcitrant Republicans and get the bill passed. But it also reveals a more basic truth: Republicans think that the biggest barrier to BCRA 1.0's passage was the fact that almost all the tax cuts went to the very rich. He does not believe that the Medicaid cuts posed any real problem, even though that is what most Republicans who opposed the original pointed to when they voiced their opposition. BCRA 2.0 spreads the tax savings a little lower down the socio-economic ladder (while still giving the biggest cuts to the rich), while keeping all the cuts to Medicaid funding.
So basically, McConnell thinks "moderate" Republicans Medicaid talk was just talk and in reality they can be bought off by buying goodies for their districts. He might be right.
