When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) held a press conference on Sept. 13 to reveal his block grant repeal bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had not yet decided if he was going to bring the bill to a vote. The reason was to avoid being publicly humiliated by a failure that would add to the series of humiliating failures from this year alone. On Tuesday, McConnell said before the press that they would not bring the bill up for a vote.
Details of reconciliation
The latest rushed effort to repeal the ACA -- often referred to as Obamacare -- was in order to meet a Sept.
30 deadline for Republicans to still be able to pass the bill under the rules of reconciliation. That means that because Democrats refuse to repeal, Republicans adjusted the rules to pass a repeal bill by a simple majority of the seats that they hold. That allows a majority of party members rather than the 60-member threshold that is traditionally required. Republicans will only be able to return to the rules of reconciliation in January.
During Tuesday's press conference, Sen. Graham shot down any hopes of bipartisanship. In fact, it was reported that last week, Sen. Orrin Hatch also killed all hopes of a bipartisan bill that was already being worked on by senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA).
Unlike the Graham-Cassidy bill, four hearings had already been held for the Alexander-Murray bill.
Republicans killing bipartisanship to keep killing healthcare
Sen. Hatch was able to upend their efforts using the same view that Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (TX) had been pushing, that stabilizing the insurance providers that were offering insurance in the ACA marketplace would be a bailout.
Some reports of the latest repeal failure suggested that Republicans might now be able to work in a bipartisan manner. But, even under another failure, they've refused and instead said that they will try to repeal it again by themselves.
In Tuesday's press briefing, Sen. Graham said that they would bring back their bill as the best and only option to allow states to control their own health care.
But details of the plan have shown that over time, even the money that's given to those states would disappear, along with what's given to other programs that are meant to cover those with low-incomes.
Bill Cassidy told the Washington Post on Monday, that if the repeal bill is the only way that he would be able to work, then he would stick with it. Cassidy has interest in Health Care Reform as he is a former physician. He also described the evolution of his involvement, saying that over time he has gotten a more positive response from members of his own party for getting close to a repeal. It is for this reason that Republicans will continue to try to repeal Obamacare again, especially with President Trump's support.
