US Senate votes to start debate on repealing Obamacare

Wednesday’s defeat comes after the main Republican proposal to replace the ACA was defeated 43-57 on Tuesday night, falling far short of the 60 votes required for passage. The GOP plan would get rid of the medical device tax, intended as a revenue source to fund the current health law.

It also included a proposal from Sen.

Some local seniors aren’t happy about a debate to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, anxious the medical coverage they rely on would be on the chopping block.

Trump took a victory lap and said: ‘We’re now one step closer to liberating our citizens from this Obamacare nightmare and delivering great health care to the American people’.

The “skinny repeal” is a downsized version of previous legislation that would stop the ACA’s individual mandate, which financially penalizes people who don’t purchase health insurance. Senators Susan Collins of ME and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate voted to begin debate on repealing Obamacare.

The 80-year-old McCain has been home in Arizona since last week when he started treatment for a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma.

“This “skinny repeal” strategy would keep the overhaul effort alive but amount to a tacit acknowledgment that broader efforts to revise or repeal the law can not succeed, even as Republicans control both Congress and the White House”, according to the Washington Post.

“Senators will have the opportunity to consider many, many more amendments tonight”.

“I know many of us have waited years for this moment to finally arrive”.

As the debate moves forward, the Senate’s skinny repeal could be completely rewritten through the amendment process – and that is likely to play out over the next week, says Davis.

But even that narrow bill could have a dramatic impact on the nation’s health care system.

Democrats have said they have hundreds of amendments to offer and are preparing for a marathon. Three-quarters of the nation would live in areas with no insurers participating in the individual market by 2026, CBO said, leaving many without an option if they do not have employer-provided or government health insurance, such as Medicare or Medicaid.

The measure, known as as the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act, failed 45-55, with seven Republican senators voting against it, along with all Democrats and independents in the upper chamber.