The House and Senate played “dodgeball” not wanting to be held accountable when twenty million people, their constituents, would lose access to affordable care.
“The Senate in the early hours of Friday morning rejected a new, scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, derailing the Republicans’ seven-year campaign to dismantle President Barack Obama’s signature health care law and dealing a huge political setback to President Trump.
Senator John McCain of Arizona, who just this week returned to the Senate after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer, cast the decisive vote to defeat the proposal, joining two other Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, in opposing it.
The 49-to-51 vote was also a humiliating setback for the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has nurtured his reputation as a master tactician and spent the last three months trying to devise a repeal bill that could win support from members of his caucus. (A)
Several Republicans, in fact, said they would vote for this bill only if guaranteed that it would never, ever, ever become law. And then they voted on the legislation that many considered terrible and were devastated by its defeat. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was visibly upset.” (B)
“Senate Republicans unveiled a “skinny repeal,” a narrow measure to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act. It would leave 15 million more Americans without insurance next year, the Congressional Budget Office said.
Speaker Ryan tried to reassure senators balking at the narrow bill, but he left the door open for “skinny” passage.” (C)
““Speaker Paul Ryan’s statement saying he would conference with the Senate on a healthcare bill is not sufficient enough for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
“I would like to have the kind of assurances he did not provide,” McCain told reporters.” (D)
“As the highly unusual process of passing a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act drew to a close Thursday, a number of Republican senators said they would like to see the upper chamber return to normal.
After a process that included skipping the usual public hearings, beginning debate without a final bill and sending a bill to the House hoping it won’t pass, senators said they want to return to the usual process of passing legislation….
(Senators) Shelby and Crapo were echoing Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who, earlier this week decried the process that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used on the health care bill. McCain had just returned to the Senate after being diagnosed with brain cancer and undergoing surgery to remove a tumor.” (E)
And!
6. You read that right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 percent. Six. As the Senate prepares to vote on a “skinny repeal” version that its members haven’t seen – and don’t actually want to see enacted – a new statewide poll shows that half of Arizona voters would prefer to keep Obamacare but make revisions to the law. (F)
(A) Senate Rejects Slimmed-Down Obamacare Repeal as McCain Votes No, by Robe Pear and Thomas Kaplan, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/obamacare-partial-repeal-senate-republicans-revolt.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
(B) Senate Fails To Pass Latest GOP Health Care Bill by Tamara Keith, http://www.npr.org/2017/07/28/539945644/senate-fails-to-pass-latest-gop-health-care-bill
(C) Health Care Debate: Obamacare Repeal Fails as McCain Casts Decisive No Vote,By ROBERT PEAR, THOMAS KAPLAN and EMILY COCHRANE, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/senate-health-care-vote.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
(D) McCain says Ryan’s assurance on a healthcare bill is insufficient, by JESSIE HELLMANN, http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/344254-two-gop-senators-say-ryans-assurance-on-a-healthcare-bill-is-insufficient
(E) Republicans Want the Senate to Return to Normal After Health Care by Jack Brewster, http://time.com/4877348/health-care-senate-norms-republicans/
(F) Only 6 percent of Arizona voters like Senate health care bill, by Laurie Roberts, http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2017/07/27/only-6-percent-arizona-voters-support-senate-healthcare-bill-poll-says/518427001/