"repeal and replace" Archives

Jul 18, 2017

Senate Calls Off Replace, Now Focuses of Repeal of Obamacare

Last night, Senator Mitch McConnell admitted defeat of the Senate’s health care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). “Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful,” he admitted after two more Republican Senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kanas, announced that they will be voting “no” on the bill. This defeat comes after the decision on Monday to delay the vote as Senator John McCain, a supporter of the bill, recovers from removal of a blood clot above his left eye. Now, Senator… Read more

Jul 13, 2017

Version 2.0 of Health Care Bill to be Introduced in the Senate Today

As discussed in my blog yesterday, Republican Senators will be introducing a newly revised health care bill today. According to reports from multiple media sources, the bill will include cuts to Medicaid, expansion of the use of health savings accounts and tax credits, and additional funding for states to fight the rising opioid addiction epidemic. Additional funding is also expected to be included beyond the $62 billion currently allocated to states to help low-income individuals afford health care coverage. It is also expected to retain the 3.8% investment tax and the 0.9% Medicare surtax on upper-income earners (see details in… Read more

Jul 12, 2017

Summer Vacation Delayed-Senate to Focus on Health Care Bill

Late yesterday, Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader (R.KY.) announced that the Senate will delay its summer recess for two weeks. The AP (7/11, Taylor) reported that McConnell promised “to wrap up” the Senate’s ACA repeal bill “next week, but a number of neglected items have been left in health care’s wake as that bill has been repeatedly delayed.” The article adds, “Little progress has been made on other legislation, and the Kentucky Republican says the chamber would work on the annual defense policy measure and, perhaps, must-do legislation to increase the government’s borrowing authority.” The revised health care bill, the… Read more

Jun 30, 2017

Senate Leader Needs to Bring the Republicans Together to Pass The Health Care Bill

As mentioned in prior blog posts, the Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate and need 50 out of 52 Republicans to vote for the health care bill. Both conservatives and centrists want different provisions in the bill, and Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-KY.) is struggling to bring the factions together in a way that will attract the votes of both of these groups. Once rewritten, he still needs to produce a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the legislation’s impact on coverage levels and federal spending. Senate McConnell is planning on sending a revised version of… Read more

Jun 28, 2017

Senate Health Care Bill -No July 4th Celebration

Today, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY.) announced that the health care bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will not be put up for a vote in the Senate until after the July 4th holiday. According to the New York Times (6/27, Steinhauer, Subscription Publication), it appears that he “miscalculated in the first round of play.” He is said to have “put his legislative thumb on the scale in favor of conservatives, quickly alienating” other senators including Sens. Susan Collins (R. ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R. AK). Other Senators have also opposed the Medicaid eligibility… Read more

Jun 22, 2017

Senate Health Care Bill Introduced Today

The Senate health care bill, titled as the “Better Care Reconciliation Act” was introduced today. The discussion draft of the bill ( a mere 142 pages) is the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House. Included in the draft is an additional $50 billion over four years to stabilize insurance exchanges. It also includes $15 billion a year in market-stabilizing funds over the next two years and $10 billion a year in 2020 and 2021. Under this bill, cost-sharing subsidy payments will remain available. $62 billion has also been allocated over eight years for… Read more

Jun 20, 2017

Senate May Vote on Health Care Next Week (Quietly)

As reported in several media outlets, the Senate appears ready to schedule a vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As mentioned in my blog yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants a vote on the bill before the July 4 recess. The fate of Medicaid expansion and tax credits to consumers, sticking points for many Senate Republicans, appear to be close to resolution. Under an option being strongly considered, the AHCA would include deeper financial cuts to Medicaid, which may draw criticism from some Republican governors who desire… Read more

Jun 19, 2017

Senate to Consider Health Law Bill Before End of June?

Last week, a story in the Washington Post (6/15, Sullivan, Snell), stated that the Senate was poised to consider the health care bill by the end of the month, before the summer recess. However, the article also states that other Republicans were “skeptical” that the Senate would be able to vote on the bill before the recess. What we do know is that the “repeal and replace” of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) in the Senate is being conducted behind closed doors by 13 Republican Senators. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) continues to push for a vote before the July… Read more