Yahoo – AFP,
Michael Mathes, July 18, 2017
President Donald Trump's health care reform, the subject of frequent protests, is one of the pending issues forcing the US Senate to delay its summer break (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB) |
Washington
(AFP) - Two more US Republican senators announced their opposition Monday to
their party's efforts to revamp Obamacare, derailing the controversial
legislation in its current form and potentially dealing a monumental setback to
President Donald Trump.
Republican
leaders are desperate for a major legislative victory this year -- and keen to
fulfill Trump's campaign pledge to dismantle the 2010 health care reforms of
his predecessor Barack Obama, formally called the Affordable Care Act.
But they
had no votes to spare.
Republicans
control 52 of the chamber's 100 seats. Democrats are united against the
controversial legislation, while Republicans Susan Collins and Rand Paul
declared their opposition last week.
So when
Senate conservatives Mike Lee and Jerry Moran announced late Monday they could
not support the bill, the news sent shockwaves across Washington.
"We
should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy," Moran -- who faced
considerable opposition at home in Kansas to the measure -- said in a
statement, adding that the new bill "fails to repeal the Affordable Care
Act or address health care's rising costs."
For Lee,
"in addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn't go
far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create
enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations."
Their
defections mean that the bill has no chance of even getting a vote on the
Senate floor unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decides to make
significant changes to woo skeptics back into the fold.
"Republicans
should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan
that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!" Trump tweeted
after Lee and Moran made their opposition known.
In a
statement McConnell acknowledged "regretfully" that his effort had
failed. But he wasn't giving up.
"So,
in the coming days, the Senate will vote to take up ... a repeal of Obamacare
with a two-year delay to provide for a stable transition period," he said,
without setting a date.
"Inaction
is not an option," added a White House spokesperson, speaking on condition
of anonymity. "We look forward to Congress continuing to work toward a
bill the president can sign to end the Obamacare nightmare."
US Senator
John McCain, shown here in Kabul in early July, is recovering from
surgery, but
the defection of two more Republican senators means his vote on
health care is
moot (AFP Photo/SHAH MARAI)
|
'Unworkable'
Over the
weekend, McConnell delayed a vote to proceed on the bill, after Senator John
McCain, 80, underwent surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye and said he
would recuperate at home in Arizona for at least a week.
But
McCain's absence is now a moot point.
Several
Republicans had already expressed concern that the new bill could slash funding
for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and the disabled.
The new
bill would gradually roll back the program, a move that some Republicans warn
could lead to millions losing coverage.
The latest
defections also show that conservatives are frustrated that the new bill does
not repeal the Obamacare taxes.
Democratic
reaction was swift.
This
failure is proof "that the core of this bill is unworkable," said top
Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.
Republicans
should instead "start from scratch and work with Democrats on a bill that
lowers premiums, provides long-term stability to the markets and improves our
health care system."
'Wheels
off the bus'
Republican
leaders are eager to notch a major victory for Trump in Congress as he nears
the six-month mark of his presidency.
Congress
could also address tax reform and infrastructure - but the Senate must first
deal with a logjam of urgent business, including whether to raise the federal
borrowing limit.
Some fear
that repealing Obamacare could adversely impact millions of Americans on
Medicaid, or make health costs soar for people with pre-existing health
conditions.
There is
little institutional support for the bill, and even less for an amendment
introduced by Senator Ted Cruz that would allow insurers to offer bare-bones plans
that do not comply with Obamacare's coverage requirements.
The chief
executives of America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield
Association called it "simply unworkable in any form."
A Post poll
released Sunday showed Americans preferred Obamacare to the Republican plan by
50 percent to 24 percent.
Despite the
Republican setback, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said his Republican
colleagues will not easily give up.
"There's
a couple wheels off the bus right now," Murphy told MSNBC after the
announcement from Lee and Moran.
But
"they are not going to give up on it," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment