The Republicans had their chance to repeal and replace the affordable care act but were unable to unify and get on the same page. House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly did everything he could to get enough support for the bill, including getting down on one knee to plead with a high-ranking member of Congress.

Ryan's last chance

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has been the law of the land for just over seven years. The historic health care reform was signed by former President Barack Obama and resulted in a dramatic shift in how the United States handles its health care system.

Since that time, Republicans have made opposition the law their top talking point, which was evident during the 2016 presidential election and the campaign of Donald Trump. With Trump in the White House and Republicans in majority-control of Congress, most thought that Obamacare had no chance at survival, but the GOP fumbled their chance by putting together a much-criticized alternative. As reported by the Washington Post, and later The Hill, on March 26, Paul Ryan unsuccessfully begged a top Republican Congressman to support the bill.

Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska is the longest serving conservative member of Congress, and his support or opposition could've have the impact to sway enough votes to make the GOP Health Care Bill a success or failure.

Young opposed the bill, but that didn't stop Paul Ryan from doing whatever he could to change the congressman's mind. According to the Washington Post, Ryan "got down on one knee" and begged Young to support the bill, humiliating himself in the process, but was still denied.

Moving forward

After blowing their chance at health care reform, Donald Trump and Republicans are forced to regroup and decide what their next course of action will be.

While the president has signaled that he wants to move forward with tax reform, he's not done playing the blame game. Trump first blamed Democrats for the GOP failure on health care, which Vice President Mike Pence has also doubled down on.

However, the billionaire real estate mogul expressed his frustration with the House Freedom Caucus for refusing to support the bill, tweeting out that they are to blame for keeping Obamacare and Planned Parenthood alive. At this point, it's unknown when, or if, the White House will make another push for health care reform, but it doesn't appear like they are even ready to stop pointing the finger of blame.
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