The declaration by four Republican senators that they will not support Donald Trump’s Affordable Health Act killed the bill. Following the tweet by Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran that they cannot support the legislation in its current version, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared defeat.
He said on Monday night that the Senate will vote to completely repeal Obamacare, but it will take two years to replace it, The New York Post reported. Lee and Moran joined Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Maine Sen. Susan Collins in opposing the repeal of Obamacare.
McConnell said the two-year period will provide a stable transition period to a system that is patient-centered. Also behind the delay in the vote is the absence of Arizona Sen. John McCain who is recovering from a surgery after a blood clot was removed from his eye.
Democrats will not join the repeal
Following the defeat of the Trump-proposed healthcare plan, the president urged the GOP to instead push for a repeal of Obamacare and to craft a new healthcare plan that he believes even Democrats will support. The Democrats, however, stated they would not support any bill from the GOP that would repeal Obamacare. The only compromise the party can make is to work in a bipartisan way to improve the landmark healthcare law of the previous administration, The Telegraph reported.
Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2017
Moran rejected the current bill because it is bad policy. He criticized the way the legislation was written behind closed doors. He tweeted that if the federal government has control of all healthcare decisions, the system will devolve into a single-payer system that would need a massive federal spending increase.
The senator instead pushed for a fresh beginning using an open legislative process that would develop innovative solutions which would provide more personal choice, protect those with pre-existing conditions, boost access, and reduce overall costs.
My full statement opposing this version of BCRA: pic.twitter.com/CUq4Kibe0I
— Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) July 18, 2017
Skinnier plans with fewer benefits
Lee opposed the current legislation for its failure to fully repeal Obamacare.
The senator said he studied the Consumer Freedom Amendment that allows insurers to make available skinnier plans with fewer benefits, but it would still offer more compared to the full Obamacare-compliant plans. He added the bill did not repeal all of the taxes in Obamacare, did not lower the premium for middle-class families far enough, or created sufficient free space from the Obamacare regulations that are most costly, CNBC reported.
The American people and @realdonaldtrump deserve a real repeal bill. We'll keep fighting until we get one.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 18, 2017
