WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans are intending a vote to repeal ObamaCare soon after Mr . trump is sworn in on Jan. 20 with a “date certain” replacement that will start working later.
Instead of an immediate closing of healthcare exchanges, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that Republicans want a “transition period” to give lawmakers time to craft a plausible replacement program.
Motivating lawmakers to work together on the new health plan is going to be “a date certain when something goes away [and] a time period where you know you've got to have something.”
Working internally Republicans’ favor is Trump's appointment of Rep. Tom Price as health insurance and human services secretary, that has already devised a replacement arrange for ObamaCare based on giving Americans regulations to purchase health insurance to set up health savings accounts.
The reason behind the repeal-and-wait technique is steadfast Democratic opposition in the Senate led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has pledged to resist Trump's efforts to undo President Obama's signature program that insures 20 million Americans.
“He's likely to try to repeal [ObamaCare], he won't be able to do it,” Schumer told “Fox News Sunday.”
McCarthy acknowledged Republicans will have to win over some Democrats to really make it work. Repealing the ObamaCare tax subsidies and the individual mandate can be done with 50 votes within the Senate, and Republicans may have 51 or 52 senators the coming year.
But to enact a replacement policy will take 60 votes.
“We can't replace it with 50 votes, it requires 60,” McCarthy told reporters.
“- At the end of your day, we will repeal it and replace it with something which fundamentally works.”
McCarthy is alerting governors and insurance commissioners this week towards the planned alterations in instructions to solicit their ideas.
