Senate Says No To Repeal-Only Plan

By Susan Rupe

Senators on Wednesday afternoon voted down a key proposal that would repeal much of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The vote was 55-45 against an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would repeal the ACA and give Congress two years to come up with a replacement.

A vote on the proposal, which was widely expected to fail, originally was scheduled for late Wednesday morning but was delayed to mid-afternoon as senators tried to get clarity on an abortion-related provision.

It was the second time the Senate rejected a health care proposal. The Senate voted down a separate repeal-and-replace amendment on Tuesday night.

Republican senators are searching for ways to fulfill their years-long campaign pledge to repeal and replace the ACA.

The no votes won’t prevent GOP leadership from offering another version of repeal-only or repeal and replace during what is expected to be many hours of floor debate with hundreds of amendments.

The GOP has 52 seats in the Senate and will need the support of 50 GOP senators to pass a proposal.

One option that has been raised is for GOP leadership to try to pass a “skinny repeal.” This would include a repeal of the individual and employer mandate and the medical device tax.

“Skinny repeal” could buy Republicans time to work out a deal as they try to merge their health care bill with a proposal passed earlier this year by the House.

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at Susan.Rupe@innfeedback.com.