Senate Republicans will continue their debate on their
efforts to reshape the US healthcare system, with the focus likely to shift to
a straight repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The discussion has so far yielded
one defeat after a vote on the latest version of a plan to repeal and replace
Obamacare failed. The amended version of what's called the Better Care
Reconciliation Act failed 57-43, as nine Republican senators joined all
Democrats in opposing it. It needed 60 votes to advance. The debate began
earlier Tuesday, and the Senate has 20 hours of legislative time to debate,
time that's split equally between Democrats and Republicans, and some of which
was used on Tuesday.
Among the other options likely to be floated Wednesday are
the Senate's plan to strictly repeal Obamacare. There's also the chance of a
"skinny repeal" bill, which would repeal certain aspects of the ACA
and, if passed, lead to the House and Senate working together to compromise on
one final bill. After a recess after last night's vote on "Trumpcare
3.0," a revised version of the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act,
debate has resume in the Senate. Up first today should be the repeal-only bill.
The bill, titled the "Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation
Act" is nearly identical to the bill that was vetoed by President Barack
Obama in 2015. The bill would repeal all the provisions put in place by the
ACA, including key taxes, the Medicaid expansion some states opted into and
getting rid of mandates for employers and individuals to provide and have
insurance.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, 17 million
fewer Americans would have health insurance in 2018, a number that would grow
to 32 million by 2026. By 2026, health insurance premiums are expected to
double. Cuts to Medicaid would hit $842 billion by 2026.
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