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Health bill stalls as more GOP senators announce opposition

Republican Senators Mike Lee, of Utah, and Jerry Moran, of Kansas, announced late Monday they would not support the GOP's most recent verison of the Senate health care bill, effectively stalling the legislation.

In a statement released Monday night, Sen. Lee said he will vote no on the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

“After conferring with trusted experts regarding the latest version of the Consumer Freedom Amendment, I have decided I cannot support the current version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Sen. Lee said. “In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations.”
Sen. Moran tweeted his official statement in which he voiced his opposition to the Senate's latest bill, stating, "We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy."
The two senators join Senators Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Susan Collins, of Maine, who both made clear last week they would not support the bill.
With a 52-48 majority, the two senators' opposition to the bill means it is effectively dead in the Senate.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate's second failure at attempting to repeal and replace ObamaCare is "proof" that the bill is "unworkable."
The legislation, which was strongly backed by President Donald Trump, is the second failure in the Senate for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had to cancel voting on an earlier version of the bill last month when it became clear it wouldn't pass. McConnell had planned to "move to proceed" on the health care bill this week.
The Senate bill eliminated mandates and taxes under ObamaCare, and unraveled a Medicaid expansion. But for conservatives like Lee and Paul it didn't go far enough in delivering on Republican Party promises to undo Obama's law, while moderates like Collins viewed the bill as too extreme in yanking insurance coverage from millions.

Trump to Republicans: Let's repeal ObamaCare

When all else fails, kill it.

President Trump tweeted late Monday that Republicans should “just REPEAL” ObamaCare after two key Republican Senators announced they would not support the bill, ending any chance the bill had of passing the Senate.

Republican Senators Mike Lee, of Utah and Jerry Moran, of Kansas joined Senators Rand Paul, of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine. Republicans hold onto a 52-48 majority and the two senators’ opposition means the bill is effectively dead.
“Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!” Trump tweeted.
Trump appears confident that a straight repeal of ObamaCare is a shoo-in, but moderate Republicans may feel pressure to vote against the legislation. It is also unclear how many Democrats would support the move.
Trump's tweet was in stark contrast to his faith in the Senate just hours before when he predicted the legislation would pass.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., acknowledged the roadblock and, like Trump, said he plans a repeal vote. McConnell also mentioned a two-year delay for a substitute.
"Regretfully, it's now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful," McConnell said in a statement. "So, in the coming days, the Senate will vote to take up the House bill with the first amendment in order being what a majority of the Senate has already supported in 2015 and that was vetoed by then-President Obama: a repeal of Obamacare with a two-year delay to provide for a stable transition period to a patient-centered health care system that gives Americans access to quality, affordable care."
It was the second straight failure for McConnell, who had to cancel a vote on an earlier version of the bill last month when defeat became inevitable.
Trump failed to rally support for what has been the GOP's trademark issue for seven years — ever since President Obama and the Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Republicans won the White House and full control of Congress in large part on the basis of their promises to repeal and replace the health law but have struggled to overcome their deep internal divisions and deliver.
The Associated Press reported that Democrats "could barely contain their glee."
"This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said. "Rather than repeating the same failed, partisan process yet again, Republicans should start from scratch and work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long term stability to the markets and improves our health care system."

Susan Rice to Testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday on Unmasking of Pres. Trump’s Team

Susan Rice is set to answer questions in front of the House Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday, July 17, 2017. (Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

Susan Rice will be in the hot seat on capitol hill Tuesday facing questions from House lawmakers.
Obama’s National Security Adviser will be grilled on whether she “unmasked” top members of President Trump’s transition team.
President Trump says Rice may have committed a crime by asking government officials to release the names of his associates on intelligence reports.
Rice’s testimony before the House Select Committee on Intelligence will be closed to the public.
She has denied all claims, but has yet to go before a panel to answer questions.

Mysterious Deaths May Be Linked to the Clinton Foundation

A former Haitian government official is found dead ahead of his expected testimony on the Clinton Foundation’s corruption and malpractice.
One America’s Marty Golingan has more on how his suspected suicide and the death of a GOP operative may be tied to Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Chuck Schumer Cartoons

HHS' Price argues new ObamaCare overhaul bill could cover more Americans

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price argued Sunday that more Americans would have insurance under the Senate Republicans’ new health care bill, compared to the 2010 ObamaCare law they've been trying to replace. But the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill, which would project those coverage numbers, will not be released Monday as anticipated.   

“One of the interesting things that's in this bill ... is the opportunity to make certain that those folks that actually fell into a gap below 100 percent of the poverty level, but above where a state might allow individuals on the Medicaid system... this bill provides for coverage for those individuals through the tax credit process," Price said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “That hole was not covered before.”

He suggested that tax credits in the new bill would in part help those who had previously fallen into that coverage gap.
“That’s something that’s new,” said Price, a doctor. “That also is one of the reasons that we believe we’re going to be able to cover more individuals on this bill than are currently covered.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was expected to hold a key vote this week on the overhaul bill.
But the nonpartisan CBO apparently slowed its efforts to make that deadline after McConnell delayed the vote until Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain can return to Washington. He underwent surgery last Friday to removal a blood clot behind one eye and is expected to be gone at least a week.
The CBO’s analysis of Senate Republicans’ first ObamaCare overhaul bill this year -- released before Congress’ July 4 recess but which lacked enough support to even get a vote -- concluded 22 million more Americans would be uninsured, compared to ObamaCare.
Price and other Washington Republicans have argued that CBO projections are not exact and that the office was off on its ObamaCare numbers, too.
“CBO doesn’t even capture those individuals who say to the federal government, ‘I don’t want the plan that you think I need. I want the plan that I know I need for myself and for my family.’ So those numbers are so flawed in terms of what actually happens in the real world,” Price said.
Price also said he recently returned from the annual National Governors Association meeting where state leaders said they want the overhaul bill to have “flexibility” to designing a Medicaid program “for their own population” and want it to include adequate resources to insure the “vulnerable population.”

Schumer: McCain's return won't save health care bill

Ever watch the Wizard of OZ?

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Sunday there is no saving the Republicans’ health care bill despite the extra time they have in wake of Sen. John McCain’s emergency eye surgery.

McCain, R-Ariz., had surgery Friday to remove a blood clot over his left eye.

“Time is not the problem in the present health care bill,” Schumer said, according to the New York Daily News. “The problem is the substance. It slashes Medicaid, which has become something that helps middle class New Yorkers and millions of Americans.”
Schumer has led the Democrats’ charge in trying to kill the bill.
“This bill should be scrapped because it hurts middle class Americans too much at the same time that it gives tax breaks to the wealthy,” he said. “Instead, have Democrats and Republicans sit down and work together on improving Obamacare, specifically making premiums lower and health care better.”
Despite growing pessimism, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said in an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures” that more Americans would have insurance under the GOP health bill, compared to the 2010 ObamaCare law they have been working to replace.
“One of the interesting things that's in this bill ... is the opportunity to make certain that those folks that actually fell into a gap below 100 percent of the poverty level, but above where a state might allow individuals on the Medicaid system... this bill provides for coverage for those individuals through the tax credit process," Price said. “That hole was not covered before.”
Price also said that tax credits in the new bill would in part help those who had previously fallen into that coverage gap.
Despite Price’s pep talk, support of the health care bill seemed to diminish even further. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who does not favor the proposed bill, said he did not think Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had enough votes to get the bill through the Senate.
“I don’t think he does” have the votes,” Paul said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “We won four elections on repealing ObamaCare … but this doesn’t.”
Paul has argued that the measure gives too much subsidy money to health insurance companies in the ObamaCare program.
“That is not a Republican idea, to give taxpayer money to a private industry,” Paul, a doctor, said about the bill's so-called “temporary stabilization fund” that is now at about $200 billion.
Republicans had hoped to get a vote to the floor this week, but McCain’s surgery pushed it back.
The Congressional Budget Office also will not release its score of the Senate GOP bill. An earlier report said the last proposal would leave 22 million people without health insurance by 2026.