First Attempt at Repeal-Only of Obamacare Falls Short in Senate

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After falling far short of the votes needed to move forward with its sweeping measure to repeal and replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act, the Senate took another vote this afternoon, this time on a bill that simply repeals key aspects of the ACA without including any replacement.

Unlike last night's vote, which needed to have 60 supporters in order to merit further consideration, the repeal-only measure only needed 50 votes to succeed. However, the GOP was not able to reach that lowered threshold, with seven Republican senators voting against it. Ultimately, the vote went 55-45 in favor of rejecting the bill.

Senators Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowsky (AK), Dean Heller (NV), John McCain (AZ), Lamar Alexander (TN), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), and Rob Portman (OH) were the Republicans who voted no. McCain, Alexander, Capito, and Portman had all voted "yes" last night in support of the repeal-and-replacement bill.

Six GOP senators—Bob Corker (TN), Tom Cotton (AR), Lindsey Graham (SC), Mike Lee (UT), Jerry Moran (KS), and Rand Paul (KY)—who voted against the replacement measure voted for repeal-only, highlighting the Senate's current difficulties in reaching a consensus on this matter.

The bill—technically introduced as an amendment to the House repeal/replacement legislation that passed earlier this year—was championed by Sen. Paul. The substance of the legislation is largely similar to a bill that Congress passed in late 2015, knowing that it would be (and ultimately was) vetoed by President Obama. It seeks to repeal the most frequently targeted aspects of Obamacare, like the so-called "individual mandate," which requires that just about everyone has to purchase at least some form of healthcare coverage.



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