Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Senate health bill collapses in bitter blow to Trump

WASHINGTON — Republicans failed spectacularly Friday (July 28) in their latest effort to dismantle Obamacare, leaving the party shocked and in disarray and signalling the potential death knell for President Donald Trump’s dream of repealing his predecessor’s health reforms.

From left, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator John McCain, Republican Senator Ron Johnson and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy speak to reporters at the Capitol as the Republican-controlled Senate was unable to fulfill their political promise to repeal and replace "Obamacare" because of opposition and wavering within the Republican ranks, Thursday, July 27, 2017. Photo: AP

From left, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator John McCain, Republican Senator Ron Johnson and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy speak to reporters at the Capitol as the Republican-controlled Senate was unable to fulfill their political promise to repeal and replace "Obamacare" because of opposition and wavering within the Republican ranks, Thursday, July 27, 2017. Photo: AP

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

WASHINGTON — Republicans failed spectacularly Friday (July 28) in their latest effort to dismantle Obamacare, leaving the party shocked and in disarray and signalling the potential death knell for President Donald Trump’s dream of repealing his predecessor’s health reforms.

The vote - held in the dead of night - came down to the wire, with the decisive moment resting with Senator John McCain, recently diagnosed with brain cancer, who sided with two moderate Republicans and all Democrats in opposing the legislation.

"I am disappointed and frustrated, but we should not give up. I encourage the Senate to continue working toward a real solution that keeps our promise," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. He said the House would move on to tax reform including cutting taxes for middle class families.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also expressed his disappointment.

“I regret that our efforts were simply not enough this time.”

Unlike previous setbacks, Friday morning’s health care defeat had the ring of finality. After the result was announced, the Senate quickly moved on to routine business. Mr McConnell canceled a session scheduled for Friday and announced that the Senate would take up the nomination of a federal circuit judge Monday afternoon.

The collapse marks a major setback for the Republican leadership and for Mr Trump, who had campaigned relentlessly on a pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that passed into law under his predecessor Barack Obama in 2010.

Friday’s vote, which capped a series of failed efforts in recent months to get an Obamacare repeal measure over the line, was on a so-called “skinny repeal” bill that would have rolled back only parts of Obamacare but kept the bulk of the law intact.

It crashed to defeat, 49-51, leaving Mr Trump’s singular legislative initiative, and Republicans’ seven-year pledge to rip out the health care law, in tatters.

Mr Trump, who had long cajoled and strong-armed Republicans in a bid to get them into line, swiftly spoke out about the failure, apparently unmoved by Democratic pleas for the parties to work together and improve the existing law.

“3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down,” he tweeted. “As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal.”

Senate leadership had never intended “skinny repeal” to become law; they saw it as merely a vehicle for joining forces with House Republicans to craft a broader repeal-and-replace plan.

The eight-page bill, called the Health Care Freedom Act, was unveiled just hours before the vote. It would have ended the requirement that most people have health coverage, known as the individual mandate. But it would not have put in place other incentives for people to obtain coverage - a situation that insurers said would have left them with a pool of sicker, costlier customers. It would also have ended the requirement that large employers offer coverage to their workers.

The “skinny repeal” would have delayed a tax on medical devices. It also would have cut off federal funds for Planned Parenthood for one year and increased federal grants to community health centres. And it would have increased the limit on contributions to tax-favoured health savings accounts.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analysed the bill, and concluded that insurance premiums would spike by 20 per cent per year and 16 million people would lose insurance if it became law.

Even some senators who voted for the bill Friday conceded that its enactment could have been disastrous. It would have repealed the mandate that most Americans have insurance, without another mechanism to push Americans to maintain coverage. Under those circumstances, healthy people could wait to buy insurance until they were sick. The insurance markets would be dominated by the chronically ill, and premiums would soar, insurers warned.

House Speaker Paul Ryan later said his side was willing to negotiate with the Senate, but that failed to placate Mr McCain.

Vice President Mike Pence was brought to the chamber around midnight, in case he would be needed to break a 50-50 tie.

But he never got the opportunity, as Mr McCain, whose war hero status was mocked by Mr Trump in 2015, refused to cave to pressure to get on board, despite extraordinary scenes on the Senate floor where a grim-faced vice president huddled with the senator for several minutes.

“We must now return to the correct way of legislating and send the bill back to committee, hold hearings, receive input from both sides of aisle, heed the recommendations of nation’s governors, and produce a bill that finally delivers affordable health care for the American people,” Mr McCain said in a statement.

While several Democrats clapped when Mr McCain cast his “no” vote, the mood remained somber in the chamber after the defeat.

“We are not celebrating; we are relieved that millions and millions of people” would still be able to retain their health care, said top Democrat Chuck Schumer.

But he acknowledged Obamacare needed repair. “Let’s turn the page and work together to improve our health care system,” he added.

Some Republicans refused to concede that the effort was dead.

“It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” first-term Senator John Kennedy told reporters, adding that he still hoped Congress would be able to rip out Obamacare “by the roots” and start over.

But getting there will be far more time consuming, and most likely far less partisan.

The most recent effort was conducted under a special process that required just a simple majority to advance. Any new plan would likely require a 60-vote majority to move forward, making Democratic support a necessity.

Ms Lisa Murkowski, one of the three Republicans who voted against the measure, said the Obamacare status quo was still unacceptable and unsustainable.

“We have to regroup. We have to come together” and work in a committee process to craft improvements to the law, she told NBC.

Some Republicans are nervous that the House of Representatives might turn around and pass the bill instead of going to conference with the Senate.

The House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, notified House members that “pending Senate action on health care,” the House schedule could change and that “all members should remain flexible in their travel plans over the next few days”.

Other Republicans said it was time to move on to other legislative priorities such as tax reform.

“This was a heavy lift. We should have taken our time. We should have first turned to tax reform and that’s what we’ll do now,” Republican Senator Ron Johnson told reporters.

The secretive strategy employed by Mr McConnell is sure to come under scrutiny.

He crafted the bill in secrecy, and Republicans and Democrats alike complained they had not even seen the measure until it was introduced on the Senate floor. AGENCIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.