Moran, Roberts look to next move on health care

July 19--A day after U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Manhattan, announced he would vote no on a procedural vote to begin debate on a Senate Republican health care bill, he was photographed jumping a subway track at the Capitol to avoid the press.

The twin announcements Monday by Moran and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, effectively killed the bill and prompted President Donald Trump to tweet: "We were let down by all the Democrats and a few Republicans."

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, had lined up earlier as 'no' votes. All it took to bury the GOP bill was the threat of a third vote. Moran and Lee represented the third and fourth votes.

In the aftermath, Moran received some stinging rebukes on his Facebook page, but he also attracted kudos, including "Well done, Senator" and "Thank you, Senator for putting your country BEFORE the party!"

Moran was quoted Tuesday as saying he would support outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act with a replacement plan to be developed later. That position was in line with calls for repeal from Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, although Trump also later tweeted: "As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan."

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Topeka, who had favored moving ahead with debate of the Republican bill released a statement Tuesday:

"Sen. Roberts believes the consequences of inaction on the ACA are immediate and severe and therefore he prefers solutions to headlines. If his colleagues' concerns are such that they can't even vote to proceed to consideration, then they need to be specific and come to the negotiating table on a repeal and replace bill. Sen. Roberts urged his colleagues to look down the road, put the nation first and try again."

When Moran was in the House of Representatives but running for the Senate seat that he won in 2010, he introduced a resolution to repeal the Obama Administration's health care plan and presume the act had not been enacted. Moran's repeal bill wasn't the only one introduced that March day but it was the first one, and he likes to point out his repeal bill was first. It gained about a dozen co-sponsors -- none from Kansas -- and died in committee.

In December 2015, Roberts and Moran voted with the majority in a 52-47 Senate vote to effectively repeal the Affordable Care Act. However, with President Obama in the White House then, repeal legislation was guaranteed to be vetoed.

During a July 7 listening tour stop in Sublette, Moran was asked about voting for repeal without a replacement ready. If repealing forced a solution within a year, "that would have some appeal to me," he said. Moran's announcement Tuesday he would support repeal if it was brought to a vote. spurred some who were pleased by his criticism of the Senate GOP health care plan to double back.

"I was about to call to thank you and to support your 'no' stance on the current Senate Repeal/Replace Bill -- until I heard you are now supporting the Repeal without a replacement plan!" posted Leanne Wiedemann of Johnson County, on Moran's Facebook page.

"Do not leave millions of Americans, including those in Kansas you claim to represent, without insurance coverage," wrote Anna Clark, Leavenworth.

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