Latest effort to Repeal Abortion-Expanding Obamacare Falls Short

In the latest blow to repealing and replacing Obamacare, Sen. Cassidy (R. La) acknowledged this afternoon that, “We made the decision since we don’t have the votes, we’re going to postpone it.” Senators John McCain (R. Ariz.), Susan Collins (R. ME), and Rand Paul (R. KY) all issued public statements indicating they would not vote for the bill, ending the current effort to rollback much of the abortion-expanding Obamacare.

Time has run out on the 2017 “budget reconciliation bill” as a vehicle to undo much of Obamacare which requires a simple majority in the Senate. But there are only 52 Republicans in the Senate, and the loss of McCain, Collins, and Paul meant the bill would fall short of the 50 votes needed.

The bill’s chief sponsors, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R. SC) and Sen. Bill Cassidy, said that they plan on touring the country in order to build support for their health bill. There are additional reconciliation measures going forward, but the most immediate one is slated to deal with tax reform.

The Graham-Cassidy legislation would redirect existing Obamacare subsidies back to states in the form of block grants. The bill would prohibit the use of these dollars for plans that cover elective abortion. The bill would restore the longstanding principles of the Hyde Amendment with respect to federally funded health coverage. The Hyde Amendment is credited with saving two million lives.

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