Skinny Repeal Dies on Senate Floor

The saga over health care continued last week, as the Senate voted no on the latest Republican repeal effort late last Thursday night. Here, btw takes a look at what happened and what it means (agian!?!) for the future of health care in the United States.

“Skinny Repeal”

The latest version of the Republican plan to repeal and replace the ACA (the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare) was nicknamed the “skinny repeal” bill. This version looked much the same as previous versions, with a few key differences. First, it took away the individual insurance mandate (the requirement under the ACA that everyone had to purchase health care insurance or face a fine). It also took away the employer mandate (the requirement that employers provide health care benefits for their employees). As a result, premiums for everyone were expected to rise as much as 20 percent over the next year. It was estimated that by 2026, 16 percent more Americans would be without coverage than today. However, the new bill would have left federal Medicaid funding alone.

Burning the Midnight Oil

Last Tuesday, the Senate voted to proceed with debate over the “skinny repeal” bill. The vote to proceed with debate passed, but very narrowly; in fact, Vice President Pence cast the tiebreaking vote.

Then, after midnight late Thursday night/early Friday morning, the Senate put the new legislation to a vote. It failed dramatically, 49-51. All Senate Democrats voted against the bill, along with three Republicans: Senators John McCain (Arizona), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Susan Collins (Maine). Both female senators faced widespread criticism and even received threats over their decision to break from their party’s line.

Republican Response

Republican legislators have been trying to kill the ACA for the past seven years. However, the death of the “skinny repeal” bill seems to have put the health care issue to rest in the Senate . . . at least for the moment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that the Senate would move on now to other matters, specifically the defense authorization bill. In a tweet after the vote, President Trump wrote that Republicans should just sit back and let the ACA (Obamacare) fail on its own. Senator McCain, on the other hand, said that he thought the bill should be sent back to committee for more debates, and that ultimately Republicans and Democrats would need to work together to create a more bipartisan health care plan.

Dig Deeper Speak with your parent or guardian about your family’s current health care plan. What would happen to your family’s health care access if the “skinny repeal” bill had passed? Do any members of your family have a pre-existing condition that would affect their ability to receive insurance coverage? Based on what you’ve learned, do you support Republican efforts to repeal and replace the ACA? Why or why not?