Senate Health Care Vote: Narrow Repeal Measure Takes Shape

[elleng]

Source: nyt

Senate Republicans trim sails on ‘Repeal and Replace.’

Senate Republicans, unable to reach consensus on broad legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, are looking instead at chipping away at it.

Senator David Perdue, Republican of Georgia, said the main items under discussion for the so-called Skinny Repeal include repealing the mandates that most individuals have health insurance and large employers cover their employees. They are also likely to press for the repeal of a tax on medical devices.

“The skinny bill is getting bigger,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.

But to avoid a 60-vote threshold for passage, the bill must meet specific deficit reduction targets. It’s still not clear how those targets will be reached.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/senate-health-care-vote.html?

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'Late breaking' nyt headline said Senate in disarray.

THIS is more like it, and BumRush got it:

Senate Health Care Vote: Disarray Over Narrow Repeal Measure

Source: New York Times

Four Republicans: No ‘yes’ votes without assurances of a conference.

Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin declared Thursday evening that they would not vote for a slimmed-down partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act without ironclad guarantees that the House will negotiate a comprehensive measure.

The senators were unsparing in their criticism of the so-called skinny repeal, saying it would crater the health insurance market and send premiums skyward.

“The skinny bill as policy is a disaster,” Mr. Graham said. “The skinny bill as a replacement for Obamacare is a fraud.”

Senator Johnson said: “The skinny bill in the Senate doesn’t come close to meeting our promises.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/senate-health-care-vote.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=65628434&pgtype=Homepage

[BumRushDaShow]

1. The breaking

<...>

Four Republicans: No ‘yes’ votes without assurances of a conference.

Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin declared Thursday evening that they would not vote for a slimmed-down partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act without ironclad guarantees that the House will negotiate a comprehensive measure.
Continue reading the main story

The senators were unsparing in their criticism of the so-called skinny repeal, saying it would crater the health insurance market and send premiums skyward.

“The skinny bill as policy is a disaster,” Mr. Graham said. “The skinny bill as a replacement for Obamacare is a fraud.”

Senator Johnson said: “The skinny bill in the Senate doesn’t come close to meeting our promises.”

<...>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/senate-health-care-vote.html

These "typical" 4 are not including Collins or Murkowski (or Heller or Capito). But those 4 are usually loud-mouthed fall-in-line types. If they passed that crap out of the Senate, the House will attempt to shove it through and bypass any "conference" bill to reconcile for any changes (although "as is" might lose a bunch of moderates due to the repeals and lose some teabaggers due to it not completely repealing all at once).

[still_one]

2. There is no honor among thieves, and even if the House said they would agree to a "conference", what

legally binding guarantee would there be that they would honor it? There is absolutely no law that mandates that, and while the honesty and trustworthiness of the Senate is bad enough, the House are a bunch of animals, and even worse

I hope I am wrong, but I think they are going to get some disastrous piece of garbage through, and a lot of people are going to suffer because of it. Some of those people deserve it because of the actions they took on November 8

[BumRushDaShow]

3. The issue here is

that if the Senate passes "whatever" and it goes to the House, the House members may demand to amend it, and if they do that and pass their own amended version, then THAT version would need to go BACK to the Senate again for consideration (and any further revisions if necessary).... OR the Senate could vote yay or nay on that "as is" (without amendments). If the Senate doesn't accept the amended version, then they start all over and their August recess is toast.

This is why all the faux outrage and "threats". - If Eddie Munster takes the Senate bill and has a straight up or down vote on it and manages to pass it "as is", without amendments, then it can go right to the President. If not, then that is why McLame's demand to go right to a "conference" process instead so that you have a joint group of House and Senate folks work on it and then take a new "single version" back to each chamber for a vote up or down (no amendments or it has to go back to conference again).

Even though the R-D margin is greater in the House, the House has more teabagger types who could and may scuttle it. Similarly they have at least 25 moderates who could do the same.

[still_one]

4. Thanks, I really appreciate the insight on this overly complicated process

[BumRushDaShow]

5. NP - bottom line is both chambers must pass the IDENTICAL bill

and they haven't been able to agree on one this go around. But 2 years ago after 60+ tries they did get one through in 2015 that Obama vetoed and they couldn't override. So they tried that version again earlier this week but this time it failed (they forgot that the Senate has changed since the 2016 election with a gain of 2 D Senators).