Posts

Obamacare Is Now So Terrible, People Aren’t Going to Their Doctors — Even When Sick

/0 Comments/in , /by

When the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, its supporters celebrated the legislation, calling it a landmark bill that would make Americans healthier and lower health care costs for families. Eight years later, it’s clearer than ever the ACA’s “Obamacare” exchanges have done quite the opposite. Not only are health care costs skyrocketing, the health insurance provided by Obamacare is so expensive for people to use that millions more Americans are now choosing not to go to the doctor — even when they’re sick or injured.

According to a survey by the West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago, 47 percent of respondents said within the past 12 months they chose not to see a doctor or dentist because of the high cost of health care. Four-in-10 said they elected not to pursue a recommended medical treatment or test.

Even more disturbingly, 44 percent claimed they avoided seeing a doctor on at least one occasion while sick or injured because of costs. Twenty-nine percent said they chose not to see a doctor while sick or injured “more than once.” Forty percent said they are “extremely/very afraid” of getting “seriously ill” because of high health care costs.

The survey included only those who self-identified as insured. About two-thirds of respondents reported having private health insurance. Twenty-seven percent said they received their insurance from Medicare. Only 7 percent said they were enrolled in Medicaid.

These results are a dramatic departure from several similar surveys conducted over the past two decades. For instance, in 2014, the Associated Press and NORC conducted a survey that found only 19 percent of privately insured individuals choose not to go to the doctor because of costs. Only 18 percent said they avoided “preventive and recommended care.” (Read more from “Obamacare Is Now So Terrible, People Aren’t Going to Their Doctors — Even When Sick” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obamacare Mandate ‘Irony’: It’s Tax Repealed in Tax Reform

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Republicans succeeded in repealing the individual mandate in the 2010 Affordable Care Act as part of the recent tax reform package, but a leading health care expert urges President Trump and members of Congress to do even more this year to bring financial relief to Americans saddled by high premiums and deductibles.

Galen Institute President Grace-Marie Turner has been on the front lines of the health care debate since before the Clinton administration attempted to give government a greater role in the sector in the 1990s. A fierce critic of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, Turner is relishing how the individual mandate was sent to the scrap heap starting in 2019.

“The lovely irony is that the least popular provision of Obamacare was repealed in the tax bill. It’s a bit of a touché to the Supreme Court,” said Turner, noting that the court upheld the individual mandate as constitutional only if it was considered a tax.

Beyond the political and legal drama, Turner says the mandate improved nothing and was a major burden on people.

“It was ineffective. It was not doing what it needed to do. Health insurance was so expensive that it was driving people away from policies. Even with the tax penalties, people still found it was cheaper to pay the penalties than to buy this expensive coverage,” said Turner. (Read more from “Obamacare Mandate ‘Irony’: It’s Tax Repealed in Tax Reform” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obamacare Repeal Isn’t Dead, House Conservatives Insist

/0 Comments/in , /by

Despite “fake news” claims that Republicans’ chance to repeal and replace Obamacare ends Saturday, that isn’t necessarily true, a conservative House member said Tuesday.

“Go back and look at the name of the Obamacare reconciliation vehicle in 2010,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told reporters during lawmakers’ monthly Conversations With Conservatives event on Capitol Hill, referring to how Democrats pushed through the health care law without a single Republican vote.

Democrats combined education and health care, and “they did student loan reform, they used some of the savings on the Obamacare tweaking that they did,” Massie said.

“So you can absolutely do two things at once. It’s not dead on September 30th,” he said of dismantling Obamacare.

On Saturday, however, time runs out for Senate Republicans to use their current filibuster-blocking budgetary device to pass a bill to replace Obamacare with 50 votes.

The GOP has only 52 seats in the 100-seat upper chamber, and Massie’s fellow Kentucky Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, is one of four GOP votes against the latest version of the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill. The others are Susan Collins of Maine, Ted Cruz of Texas, and John McCain of Arizona.

The co-sponsors, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, conceded Tuesday that their effort is done for now.

“We haven’t given up on changing the American health care system. We are not going to be able to do that this week,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Tuesday. “But it still lies ahead of us, and we haven’t given up on that.”

Massie also questioned the structure thus far of House and Senate Republicans’ unsuccessful bills to repeal and replace Obamacare, and how they seemed to cater to congressional Democrats, none of whom appears willing to vote for repeal.

“Why is it that every GOP repeal and replace bill includes a trillion-dollar federal health care program?” Massie said. “Who are we negotiating with if [Democrats] are not going to vote for it?”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told reporters that repeal and replace legislation isn’t “totally dead.” He said he hopes to have the opportunity to vote to repeal Obamacare in the near future.

“I would really love the chance at least once in my lifetime to repeal it,” Biggs said.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., showed support for the Graham-Cassidy bill during the event, despite saying the legislation has flaws.

“There’s no piece of legislation that’s ever going to be perfect,” Harris said. “But if this [is] the only piece of legislation we could get, it does accomplish the defederalization of the Affordable Care Act.”

Harris said his reasons for supporting the bill include its plan to take money that would have been sent directly to Medicaid and give it to states in the form of block grants for health care. He said he liked the bill’s reversal of “the increase in Medicaid, which is an out-of-control spending plan.” (For more from the author of “Obamacare Repeal Isn’t Dead, House Conservatives Insist” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

The Senate Will Not Vote on Latest Obamacare Repeal Bill

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Senate will not vote on the latest GOP health care bill meant to replace Obamacare.

In a devastating blow to Republican efforts to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act, Senate leaders have decided not to put up for a vote the Graham-Cassidy health care legislation.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., was just the latest in a string of legislative efforts to finally repeal Obamacare, a promise the Republican Party has made since the passage of the heath care law in 2010.

Republicans had previously tried to pass health care reform over the summer, but failed to push through a “skinny” health care bill by just one vote.

Supporters of an Obamacare repeal began to feel optimistic as the Graham-Cassidy bill continued to pick up momentum among Senate Republicans.

Speaking to members of the media last week in New York, Trump said the Graham-Cassidy has a “very good chance” of passing the upper chamber.

“I think there’s tremendous support for it. I think it’s actually much better than the previous shot,” Trump said, referring to the past GOP health care bill that failed to clear the Senate.

However, things began to fall apart as various members of the GOP announced their opposition to the bill.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was opposed. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for reasons almost opposite those of his moderate colleagues, announced he would not vote for the legislation unless major changes were made.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had cast the deciding vote against the skinny repeal bill over the summer, sinking its passage, ultimately came out against the latest repeal effort as well.

Following a closed-door meeting Tuesday between GOP members, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed that there would be no vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill this week.

The need for the GOP to pass repeal this week was essential, due to congressional rules allowing the Senate to pass health care reform by a simple majority until Sept. 30.

With the Republican Party carrying a slim 52-46 majority in the upper chamber, it would be virtually impossible for GOP lawmakers to push through such controversial legislation requiring a 60-vote threshold.

During the news conference following the GOP meeting, McConnell vowed to keep pushing for health care reform. (For more from the author of “The Senate Will Not Vote on Latest Obamacare Repeal Bill” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Another Senator Says No to Obamacare Repeal Bill

/0 Comments/in , /by

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday she will vote against the latest ObamaCare repeal bill, effectively killing the Graham-Cassidy legislation.

Collins’ announcement came minutes after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released figures estimating that the legislation would “result in millions fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events.”

In a statement, Collins referred to the Graham-Cassidy bill as “deeply flawed,” and that health care reform cannot be done properly “in a compressed time frame.”

“Sweeping reforms to our health care system and to Medicaid can’t be done well in a compressed time frame, especially when the actual bill is a moving target,” Collins said.

“Today, we find out that there is now a fourth version of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, which is as deeply flawed as the previous iterations. The fact that a new version of this bill was released the very week we are supposed to vote compounds the problem,” the senator’s statement read. (Read more from “Another Senator Says No to Obamacare Repeal Bill” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

McCain Again Refuses to Support Obamacare Overhaul

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Christina Wilkie. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Friday said he “cannot in good conscience vote” for the latest GOP Obamacare repeal plan.

McCain is one of four Republican senators who have been undecided on the proposal, known as the Graham-Cassidy bill, and his opposition dealt the bill’s chances a significant blow. Health care stocks jumped on the news.

In a statement, McCain said his opposition stemmed in large part from how rapidly the bill, nicknamed for Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, was being pushed through the Senate in order to meet a September 30 procedural deadline.

McCain said he cannot vote for the bill without knowing how it will affect premiums, how much it will cost, and how many people it would help or hurt.

“Without a full CBO score, which won’t be available by the end of the month, we won’t have reliable answers to any of those questions.” he said. (Read more from “McCain Again Refuses to Support Obamacare Overhaul” HERE)

__________________________________

Is Obamacare Finally Safe?

By Politico. Obamacare has endured more than seven years of political attacks, dozens of congressional repeal votes and four Supreme Court challenges. But as of today, the Democrats’ universal health care law is as secure as it’s ever been.

Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) opposition to the latest repeal effort sponsored by his closest friend in the Senate likely doomed the bill — and with it, the hope that Republicans could fulfill their campaign pledge to undo Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement before a Sept. 30 deadline.

On top of that, the insurance markets are alive and, despite skyrocketing premiums and dwindling competition, face no threat of immediate collapse.

While the GOP repeal effort may not be over, it took a severe hit with McCain’s opposition just days before a Sept. 30 deadline. The 52-member Republican conference can afford to lose no more than two members. McCain joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as public “no” votes. In addition, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is widely viewed as a “no” — she trashed the bill to her local paper on Friday — and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is skeptical; both opposed the Senate repeal effort in July. (Read more from “Is Obamacare Finally Safe?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Jimmy Kimmel Knows Comedy, Not What Ails Obamacare, Conservatives Say

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jimmy Kimmel may be a funny man, but he doesn’t understand Obamacare, according to a U.S. senator who the late-night TV host slammed this week as dishonest in describing a Republican alternative to the health care law.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., one of the chief authors of legislation to partially repeal Obamacare, sought to make himself clear Thursday morning on a friendlier show.

“Jimmy doesn’t understand, not because he’s a talk show host—[but] because we’ve never spoken,” Cassidy said on “Fox and Friends” of Kimmel’s contention that Senate Republicans’ bill would abandon Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.

“He’s only heard from those on the left who are doing their best to preserve Obamacare,” Cassidy said of Kimmel and his appraisal of the bill. “He’s not heard from me, because we’ve not spoken.”

Cassidy, a physician, apparently meant they haven’t talked about the details of his bill. The legislation, drafted with three fellow Republican senators—Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Dean Heller of Nevada, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin—would repeal Obamacare’s mandates requiring individuals to obtain health insurance and larger employers to offer it.

Other conservatives came to Cassidy’s defense on the particulars of the so-called Graham-Cassidy legislation.

In his own interview with “Fox and Friends” Thursday morning, Mike Needham, chief executive officer of Heritage Action for America, the lobbying affiliate of The Heritage Foundation, said Kimmel’s estimation of the Graham-Cassidy bill was incorrect.

“What Section 106 of the bill says is that every single state has to make sure that there continues to be affordable access for people with pre-existing conditions,” Needham said, adding:

The entire thing is kind of what is wrong with the way we talk about policy in this country. I am sure Jimmy Kimmel is a nice guy, I am sure he is very well intentioned, but he is both wrong on what this bill does, and he doesn’t understand. There’s a whole bunch of conservative ideas as to how we can take care of people with pre-existing conditions.

President Donald Trump, who had announced he would sign the Graham-Cassidy bill, tweeted Wednesday night:

Graham, co-sponsor of the bill, also came to Cassidy’s aid in the pop culture battle:

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, whose daughter received care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for a heart condition similar to that of Kimmel’s son, said the entertainer isn’t an authority on health insurance just because his son had a major medical issue.

In a piece published Wednesday in The Daily Wire, Shapiro wrote:

It’s absurd on a logical level: having a child with a heart condition doesn’t make you an expert on health care anymore than it makes you an expert on heart surgery. I should know—as I’ve said before, and only in response to Kimmel’s invocation of his own son, my daughter received open heart surgery at a year-and-a-half old at CHLA, at the hands of the same magnificent doctor Kimmel used.

So by this logic, my opinion should be treated with precisely the same kind of moral weight Kimmel’s is. But I don’t think that the fact that my daughter had her heart fixed at CHLA is what grants me credibility to talk about health care.

Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, said Kimmel’s comments show he is out of touch with mainstream America.

According to Cassidy’s website, the Graham-Cassidy bill would give states the freedom to waive Obamacare regulations, protect patients with pre-existing conditions, and provide block grants to states by “equalizing the treatment between Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states through an equitable block-grant distribution.”

A former Republican senator and presidential candidate, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, also helped draft the Graham-Cassidy bill, which is expected to go to a Senate vote next week, Politico reported.

“This guy, Bill Cassidy, he just lied right to my face,” Kimmel said on Tuesday night’s show, referring to Cassidy’s appearance nearly four months ago, adding:

For lots of people, the bill will result in higher premiums, and as far as lifetime caps go, the states can decide on that, too—which means there will be lifetime caps in many states … Not only did Bill Cassidy fail the Jimmy Kimmel test, but he failed the Bill Cassidy test, too.

The comedian and host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was referring to a comment Cassidy made on the show in late May. “We’ve got to have insurance that passes the Jimmy Kimmel test,” the Louisiana Republican said then.

Also on Tuesday night’s show, Kimmel said the Graham-Cassidy bill actually is contrary to the “Kimmel test,” which, he said, is: “No family should be denied medical care, emergency or otherwise, because they can’t afford it.”

Kimmel previously announced on air in May that his son, Billy, was diagnosed with a heart condition and underwent successful surgery. He said Tuesday night that under the “current plan,” meaning Obamacare, his son’s medical treatment would be covered.

“Our current plan protects Americans from these [insurance] caps and prevents insurance providers from jacking up the rates for people who have pre-existing conditions of all types, and Sen. Cassidy said his plan would do that too,” Kimmel said.

Then, on Wednesday night’s show, Kimmel slammed Cassidy and the Senate bill again, saying:

Oh, I get it. I don’t understand because I’m a talk show host. Then help me out, which part don’t I understand? Is it the part where you cut $243 billion from federal health care assistance? Am I not understanding the part where states would be allowed to let insurance companies price you out of coverage for having pre-existing conditions?

Cassidy also replied on Twitter to criticism distributed by National Public Radio:

Ed Haislmaier, a senior research fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Health Policy Studies, told The Daily Signal in an interview Thursday that Kimmel’s comments were misinformed.

“The bill does retain prior law,” Haislmaier said of the Graham-Cassidy legislation, adding:

It doesn’t change prior law on [pre-existing conditions] and … a lot of this was dealt with before Obamacare. …

In terms of the actual Graham-Cassidy bill, they specifically say that they have to cover…they have to explicitly use the money in a way that makes sure that people with pre-existing conditions have access to health care. So it reinforces that.

(For more from the author of “Jimmy Kimmel Knows Comedy, Not What Ails Obamacare, Conservatives Say” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

How House Conservatives Plan to Revive Obamacare Repeal, and Why It Could Work

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s time to “put the screws” to Republican lawmakers who promised to repeal Obamacare, one House member says, and that’s why he supports reviving a successful 2015 attempt to get rid of the health care law.

“We certainly can’t give up,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in a phone interview with The Daily Signal.

Gaetz was explaining why he decided to back a small caucus of House conservatives in its strategy to force a floor vote on a bill mirroring the Obamacare repeal passed in December 2015.

The House Freedom Caucus announced Friday its plan to collect the 218 signatures required on a “discharge petition” to pull that legislation out of committee.

The Daily Signal heard from eight House members on how they stand on the strategy.

“I signed the discharge petition because the things we have done so far to appease moderates in our party haven’t worked,” Gaetz, who is not a member of the Freedom Caucus, said in the interview. “So, maybe we should take a conservative approach going forward. We certainly can’t give up.”

The 2015 bill, passed by the House and Senate but vetoed by President Barack Obama, contained repeal of key Obamacare provisions, including the expansion of Medicaid benefits and almost all of the health care law’s tax increases.

The bill also repealed the law’s insurance mandates for individuals and employers as well and defunded Planned Parenthood.

When Republican majorities in the House and the Senate voted to repeal Obamacare in 2015, Obama was sure to veto the bill, and did, Gaetz noted.

The Florida Republican said there is no reason House and Senate Republicans shouldn’t be able to do the same in 2017, when President Donald Trump is committed to sign the legislation:

There is this theory both in the House and in the Senate that the legislation that everyone has previously voted for to repeal Obamacare would not get the votes on the floor of either body. It’s my view that the ‘I was for it before I was against it’ political narrative has proven to be unsuccessful. And so I want to put the screws to the members of my party who seem to only want to support repealing Obamacare when they don’t think it will actually happen.

Not a single Republican voted for final passage of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act.

Whether the revived 2015 repeal bill passes in the Senate is not the point, Gaetz said.

“These days it’s reasonable to be skeptical that a Mother’s Day resolution could pass the Senate,” he said, adding:

But that shouldn’t stop our work in the House. I mean, we have a Senate that is not functional today. So, we only have two options: Raise the white flag and give up, or keep fighting. This is a cogent strategy to keep fighting, and I’m for it.

Trump has shared his frustration, including over Twitter, about Republicans’ inability to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of GOP lawmakers in the House, told The Daily Signal in an interview that he is optimistic the petition to discharge the 2015 repeal bill will succeed.

“I have no problem leading … as we continue to put pressure on the Senate from every angle possible,” Walker said. “And hopefully at some point, this could free things up enough; there’s enough pressure coming from both Republicans in Congress and people back home to get this thing done.”

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal that he will sign the discharge petition upon his return from the August recess.

“We cannot afford to lose momentum, and I refuse to give up on our commitments,” Hice said.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., a Freedom Caucus member, said in an interview that support for the discharge petition reaches outside the caucus of more than 30 House conservatives.

“It’s not only the Freedom Caucus that supports it, but the chairman of the Republican Study Committee also announced that he’s supporting the discharge petition,” Harris told The Daily Signal, referring to Walker. “I think we should keep the position publicly that we support that repeal, just like we did in 2015.”

Harris said he is not as confident the bill would clear the Senate, but it is important that the House stay on track to repeal and replace Obamacare.

“I don’t think the Senate will take it up, to be honest with you, but I think the American people deserve to know what the House position is,” Harris said. “I think we should keep taking some action on health care repeal and reform until we get it.”

Robert Moffit, a senior health policy analyst for The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an email that lawmakers should in essence pass the 2015 repeal bill again.

“For seven years, congressional Republicans promised that they would repeal and replace Obamacare,” Moffit said:

In 2016, Heritage proposed that Congress replicate the previous repeal bill that President Obama vetoed, and then begin to enact, through regular order, in a step-by-step process, policies that would reduce health insurance costs for millions of Americans, expand their choice of coverage options, and allow the people of the states, through their elected representatives, to make the rules for their own insurance markets. A promise is a promise.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, another member of the Freedom Caucus, said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal that this is the “minimum” the House can do.

“Every Republican in the House promised to vote to repeal Obamacare,” Gohmert said, adding:

We did it when Barack Obama was president. We should, at a minimum, do the same thing with a president who will actually sign it. Since the Senate passed the exact same bill that was vetoed, we need to keep pushing the same bill back to the Senate until they’re either compelled to vote for it because of their conscience, or until their constituents compel them to come home and let someone else keep that promise.

Gohmert said he will sign the petition when he returns to Washington.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said he would do the same.

“Being back in my district for the August recess, I’m reminded as much as ever that my constituents are disappointed that we haven’t fulfilled the key Republican promise that has been made for several election cycles in a row to repeal Obamacare,” Banks, who represents northeastern Indiana, said in an interview with The Daily Signal, adding:

So that’s what motivates me to be supportive of this effort. … My constituents from my district have been waiting for this for too long for a vote on repealing Obamacare and that’s why I intend to sign the discharge petition when we get back to Washington.

Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., said he “wholeheartedly” supports the strategy. In a statement given to The Daily Signal, Yoho said:

This will force House leadership to advance the repeal of the ACA [Affordable Care Act] so that we can get rid of the failed Obamacare law once and for all. Then Republicans and Democrats can finally come together to fix health care for the American people.

Count him in, said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., because lawmakers should be consistent.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us to keep our promises,” Biggs told The Daily Signal, adding:

This is one where you can’t just vote for something when it doesn’t count and you know it’s not going to count. This is being genuine and being real, and so that’s why I think it’s appropriate and I think it’s a good idea.

(For more from the author of “How House Conservatives Plan to Revive Obamacare Repeal, and Why It Could Work” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Mother Of Disabled Obamacare Victim: ’Trump Didn’t Snub My Son, Congress Did’

/0 Comments/in , /by

The mother of the boy at the center of a flap with J.K. Rowling says it’s not President Donald Trump who did the snubbing, but Congress.

“You want to know who snubbed my son? Congress snubbed my kid in D.C. when they failed to pass meaningful legislation. Everyone missed the point of why we were there [the White House] in the first place. They [Congress] didn’t come up with a dynamic plan and they didn’t go out and sell it to the American people. If they have a plan, what is it and where is it?”

Rowling recently accused Trump of ignoring the boy during a “Victims of Obamacare” event Monday. Observers were quick to debunk the claim. Days later, Rowling apologized not to Trump, but the boy’s family.

“I appreciate people trying to stand up for me and my family but even slinging mud at people like [Rowling] doesn’t move the conversation. I like action, I like movement and I like solving problems,” Marjorie Weer tells The Daily Caller in an exclusive interview.

Weer says she was overwhelmed by the amount of media coverage after Rowling tweeted a misleading video that appeared to show Trump snubbing Weer’s son as he tried to get the president’s attention. (The video also proved Rowling wrong.) Rowling later deleted the tweets and apologized following an extended public backlash. But, she asks, why aren’t those same media outlets interested in covering the negative impact Obamacare is having on her son’s life? (Read more from “Mother of Disabled Obamacare Victim: ‘Trump Didn’t Snub My Son, Congress Did'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Senate Votes Down Broad Obamacare Repeal

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Thomas Kaplan and Robert Pear. The Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but hours later, Republican leaders suffered a setback when their most comprehensive plan to replace President Barack Obama’s health law fell far short of the votes it needed.

The Tuesday night tally needed to reach 60 votes to overcome a parliamentary objection. Instead, it fell 43-57. The fact that the comprehensive replacement plan came up well short of even 50 votes was an ominous sign for Republican leaders still grappling with a formula to pass final health care legislation this week.

For Republicans, the failure ended the day on a sour note, hours after a more triumphant scene in the well of the Senate. Lawmakers from both parties had risen to their feet in the afternoon and applauded when Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, showed up in the chamber despite his diagnosis of brain cancer. He cast a crucial vote in favor of opening what promises to be a freewheeling, hard-fought debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act. (Read more from “Senate Votes Down Broad Obamacare Repeal” HERE)

_______________________________________________

Trump Celebrates ObamaCare Vote, but Avoids Criticizing Jeff Sessions at Ohio Rally

By Alex Pappas. President Trump celebrated the Senate’s procedural vote earlier in the day on repealing ObamaCare but avoided discussing his frustration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a rally in Ohio on Tuesday night.

Though it still remains unclear whether the Senate will ultimately have the votes to pass health care legislation, Trump portrayed Tuesday’s vote as an important step.

The Senate voted 51-50 on Tuesday to start debate on legislation repealing former President Obama’s health care law.

“Only a few hours ago, the Senate approved a vote to begin debating the repealing and replacing the ObamaCare disaster,” Trump said at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown. “Finally. You think that’s easy? That’s not easy.”

He added, “We’re now one step closer to liberating citizens from this ObamaCare nightmare and delivering great health care for the American people.” (Read more from “Trump Celebrates ObamaCare Vote, but Avoids Criticizing Jeff Sessions at Ohio Rally” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.