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| Republicans push 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare amid uncertainty over vote | Republicans push 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare amid uncertainty over vote |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Confusion and uncertainty reigned on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as the Senate failed to pass a measure that would have repealed major provisions of Barack Obama’s health reforms, something Republicans have promised to do for seven years. | |
| At least six Republican senators joined with Democrats to reject the bill, just two years after the party approved a similar measure that was vetoed by Obama. | |
| But a new plan emerged as the leading contender to replace the 2010 healthcare law. A day after the Senate narrowly voted to open debate on repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) despite not knowing where it would lead, the so-called skinny repeal seemed the most probable of a number of options for the repeal or replacement of the ACA to succeed. | |
| But as Republicans continued to work their way through a planned 20 hours of debate and prepared to vote for a series of amendments in a “vote-a-rama”, it was unclear whether anything would be passed by the deadline of the end of this week set by the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. | But as Republicans continued to work their way through a planned 20 hours of debate and prepared to vote for a series of amendments in a “vote-a-rama”, it was unclear whether anything would be passed by the deadline of the end of this week set by the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. |
| “Now we have to keep working hard,” McConnell said on Wednesday. “We’re determined to do everything we can to succeed. We know our constituents are counting on us.” | “Now we have to keep working hard,” McConnell said on Wednesday. “We’re determined to do everything we can to succeed. We know our constituents are counting on us.” |
| On Tuesday, Republican senators, riven by disagreement over how to proceed on healthcare, voted to move towards debate on healthcare, but hours later their seven-year repeal effort suffered a setback when a replacement plan fell far short of the requisite 60 votes needed overcome a procedural hurdle. After months of deliberation, almost entirely behind closed doors, only 43 of 52 Republican senators supported the leadership’s most comprehensive plan to replace the healthcare law. | |
| Though failure was expected – approval in this case would have required 60 votes and therefore Democratic support – the vote was a discouraging signal to a Republican leadership still trying to wrangle the party to get behind a healthcare measure that can pass by the end of the week. | |
| At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday night, Donald Trump warned that Republican senators who did not support legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare “will have a lot of problems”. | |
| On Wednesday morning, the president singled out Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of two Republican senators who opposed opening debate on healthcare legislation. Murkowski was joined by Susan Collins of Maine. | On Wednesday morning, the president singled out Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of two Republican senators who opposed opening debate on healthcare legislation. Murkowski was joined by Susan Collins of Maine. |
| “Senator @lisamurkowski of the great state of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday,” Trump tweeted. “Too bad!” | |
| Republican senators have still failed to reach a consensus on a repeal plan to dismantle the 2010 healthcare law, which would affect coverage for millions of Americans and impact a sixth of the US economy. | Republican senators have still failed to reach a consensus on a repeal plan to dismantle the 2010 healthcare law, which would affect coverage for millions of Americans and impact a sixth of the US economy. |
| The bill that failed on the floor on Tuesday night included an amendment that would have allowed insurers to sell bare-bones healthcare plans that do not cover maternity leave, prescription drug medications and other benefits required under the ACA – popularly known as Obamacare – as long as they also sold some plans that meet the law’s standards. The bill also included an amendment that would provide tax credits for people on Medicaid, the federal insurance program for low-income households, to buy private insurance plans. | |
| The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not issued an impact estimate for the plan, but an analysis of an earlier iteration of the measure found that 22 million more people would be uninsured under the plan compared to the current law. | The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not issued an impact estimate for the plan, but an analysis of an earlier iteration of the measure found that 22 million more people would be uninsured under the plan compared to the current law. |
| It failed, with no Democrats voting in favor and nine Republicans from different ideological corners voting against – a sign of how complex the challenge is for the GOP leadership as they test different plans during the coming days of debate. | |
| Another option is a repeal plan that would eliminate key provisions of the law after two years, giving Congress more time to come up with a replacement plan. | Another option is a repeal plan that would eliminate key provisions of the law after two years, giving Congress more time to come up with a replacement plan. |
| This plan is favored by small-government conservatives, such as Rand Paul, a libertarian from Kentucky, who have been clamoring to repeal the law “root and branch” for years, but at least three senators have said they would not support a repeal without a replacement. The CBO estimated that 32 million people would lose health insurance over the next decade under this plan compared to current law. | This plan is favored by small-government conservatives, such as Rand Paul, a libertarian from Kentucky, who have been clamoring to repeal the law “root and branch” for years, but at least three senators have said they would not support a repeal without a replacement. The CBO estimated that 32 million people would lose health insurance over the next decade under this plan compared to current law. |
| Amid the confusion, a new plan has emerged as the leading contender that could win support from at least 50 Republicans, with the vice-president, Mike Pence, required to break the tie. The “skinny repeal” would eliminate the individual mandate, the least popular provision of the ACA that requires all Americans to have health insurance or face a fine. It would also remove the employer mandate, requiring certain businesses to provide health insurance to employees, as well as a tax on medical device manufacturers. But, importantly, it would not touch the Medicaid program for the poor. | Amid the confusion, a new plan has emerged as the leading contender that could win support from at least 50 Republicans, with the vice-president, Mike Pence, required to break the tie. The “skinny repeal” would eliminate the individual mandate, the least popular provision of the ACA that requires all Americans to have health insurance or face a fine. It would also remove the employer mandate, requiring certain businesses to provide health insurance to employees, as well as a tax on medical device manufacturers. But, importantly, it would not touch the Medicaid program for the poor. |
| This plan, which continued to gain traction with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, would not achieve Republicans’ long-stated goals to remove the healthcare law’s insurance regulations and lower premiums for healthcare costs. It would, however, provide a tactical option for moving a bill forward while buying Republicans more time to work out a broader plan later. | |
| “The so-called skinny provision is not a resolution of this problem,” said senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee and the chairman of the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee. “It only takes us to the next step where hopefully we can find one.” | |
| If that measure passed the the Senate with a simple majority, it would likely then enter a conference committee with the House, where Republicans could reconcile the differences and produce a larger repeal-and-replace measure later. | If that measure passed the the Senate with a simple majority, it would likely then enter a conference committee with the House, where Republicans could reconcile the differences and produce a larger repeal-and-replace measure later. |
| Democrats are largely unable to stop a bill from moving forward. Locked out of power in Congress and the White House, the party has remained united in opposition to any measure that would repeal the law, but has enjoined Republicans to work with them on solutions that would stabilize the insurance markets and lower premiums. | |
| On Tuesday, Democrats urged activists to continue putting pressure on lawmakers as the Senate entered the final, frenetic push toward repeal. For months, voters and activists have inundated the telephone lines of Republican lawmakers and protested at their offices. | On Tuesday, Democrats urged activists to continue putting pressure on lawmakers as the Senate entered the final, frenetic push toward repeal. For months, voters and activists have inundated the telephone lines of Republican lawmakers and protested at their offices. |
| “We have Republicans on knife-edge,” Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, told dozens of activists gathered on the steps of the Senate after the vote. Murphy is reportedly preparing 100 amendments to delay a final vote on healthcare repeal. | |
| “Republicans thought this repeal plan would be passed in the first week of this Congress,” he continued. “They never thought in their wildest dreams that they would be on the verge of August recess with absolutely no idea – no plan – for how the repeal-and-replace they talked about for six years would become law. They are in this position of chaos today because of all of you, because you stood up and made their lives miserable at every turn here in Washington.” | |
| Nearly 20 million people gained healthcare coverage under the ACA. The law requires all Americans to have insurance or face a penalty, and offered states funding incentives to expand Medicaid coverage for people with low incomes. | Nearly 20 million people gained healthcare coverage under the ACA. The law requires all Americans to have insurance or face a penalty, and offered states funding incentives to expand Medicaid coverage for people with low incomes. |
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