Sen. Bob Corker changes mind and says he will support ‘repeal and delay’ of Obamacare

July 20--WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bob Corker reversed course Thursday and indicated he would support a bill the Senate plans to vote on next week to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan.

Voting now to repeal the law in two years would give lawmakers the time needed to come up with a plan to replace it, the senator said in a statement Thursday morning.

In a telephone interview Thursday afternoon, Corker said the statement was intended as something of a shot across the bow for his Republican colleagues because the current process of creating a legislative alternative to the ACA "is getting out of control."

"This is a statement to my own party. I hope that this bill is going to right itself. I hope we're going to get more focused," Corker said, referring to the legislative process.

"Currently, it's feeling somewhat like a bazaar."

Corker's announcement represents a change of heart for the senator, who in the past had expressed concerns multiple times about the so-called "repeal and delay" strategy.

"Why would we put off for three years doing what we know we have to do?" he told reporters last December.

In January, the senator told CNN that it would be "problematic," "not very appealing" and "doesn't seem very intelligent" to repeal the law without a replacement.

"To me, it's much more prudent to figure out where you're going to go from here and attempt to do it all at the same time," he said at the time. "People will see some of the flaws in just repealing only."

On Thursday, Corker reiterated he'd rather create a comprehensive solution to address rising costs and access to care. Right now he sees lawmakers "flooding the zone" with funding instead of creating that broader, better health care system.

He thinks a "forcing mechanism" like a two-year deadline created by the "repeal and delay" proposal could spur a bi-partisan approach to creating coherent legislation that currently does not exist.

"I'm just trying to send a message to my side let's keep a focus on getting to some place coherent and not just scratch a bunch of itches," Corker said.

Right now, Republicans drive all decisions on any health care legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other lawmakers have faced considerable criticism for the partisan, closed-door approach taken to creating several versions of the Senate's health care proposal.

Corker said he spoke with McConnell 10 minutes before his interview with USA TODAY NETWORK -- Tennessee.

The Chattanooga Republican said statements like the one he issued Thursday morning "certainly affect" the bill-crafting process.

He said leadership may need to move away from a Republican-only strategy if they can't come up with better legislation.

"Whenever something like that is done, you can end up with a product that doesn't serve the American people well," Corker said, noting that is the approach taken by former President Barack Obama when he passed the ACA.

"I fear we may be doing exactly the same thing," Corker said. "I hope that's not the case."

Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association, disagrees on the strategy to put a deadline in place, citing concerns about whether Congress will be able to pass a replacement.

"If anything, the past few months have taught us how complex and difficult it is to find a replacement that meets the needs of patients and those who care for them, so voting for repeal without knowing the replacement is opposed by THA," Becker said. "Like the 10-year battle to repeal the physician sustainable growth rate formula, setting up an annual cliff before a replacement is found is not good policy."

Sen. Alexander: 'I don't think that's a good idea'

Like Corker, Tennessee's senior senator, Republican Lamar Alexander, said Thursday he would vote next week to begin debate on the bill. But Alexander made clear he does not favor the "repeal and delay" strategy.

"I agree with the president that we should repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act at the same time," Alexander, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees health care issues, said in a statement.

"I don't think Tennesseans would be comfortable with repealing first and then trusting Congress to figure out a replacement later," Alexander said. "Most pilots like to know where they're going to land before they take off, and we should too."

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Alexander said he didn't think the latest repeal bill had much of a chance.

"I don't think there are 40 votes to repeal and say to the American people, 'Well, trust us to come up with something in the next couple of years.' I don't think that's a good idea," Alexander said.

Corker's reversal "has everything to do with a win in Washington and not what's best for constituents," said Tatum Allsep, executive director of Nashville nonprofit Music Health Alliance.

Earlier this year, Tennessee had been on the brink of having counties without insurance for sale on the exchange.

But following BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee's decision to re-enter some counties, the state is fully covered for now. Yet the ongoing political chaos over the future of the health insurance market could push insurers to reconsider their pledges to sell.

Julie Mix McPeak, the state's insurance commissioner, said she was fearful that without stabilizing actions from Congress, insurers could leave. McPeak called on Congress to tweak the existing law so people continue to have options while they figure out a reform path.

Democrats pounced on Corker for changing his mind and supporting the "repeal and delay" strategy.

The senator "is going back on everything he said less than six months ago," said Mary Mancini, chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party.

Corker "has been playing politics with Tennesseans health care for years," Mancini said. "When will he start putting the people of Tennessee over his political party and his political agenda?"

The Senate is expected vote next week on a bill to repeal Obamacare in two years, even though it appears Republicans don't have the votes to pass the legislation and a non-partisan analysis warns it would cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.

The Congressional Budget Office issued an analysis late Wednesday that concluded the bill would make the insurance market unstable, raise premiums and increase by 32 million the number of uninsured people.

The repeal-and-delay bill would immediately quash the mandate to buy insurance and would end federal subsidies in 2020. It would keep the essential health benefits and the bans on pre-existing conditions.

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump chided Senate Republicans for failing to support the bill and urged them to work out their differences.

The political back and forth is causing anxiety for families across the state who are worrying about their prospects for insurance. Insurers have said that continued political uncertainty could reverse decisions to sell.

"I think the president said, 'do you want to be a senator again?' and everyone is worried about elections and not their constituents," Allsep said. "There is no other explanation because the facts scream negativity around simply repeal when there are so many solutions by just extending a hand across the aisle."

Corker's change of mind is "very disappointing," said Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center.

"If his vote influences this becoming a reality the families that will feel that reality the worst are families that deserve better in Tennessee," Johnson said. "I think those families have counted on Sen. Corker to be reasonable and to hear their voices and I don't understand how he hasn't heard them."

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