The Three Senators (and Two Races) That Will Decide the Fate of Obamacare
The Three Senators (and Two Races) That Will Decide the Fate of Obamacare
Washington is watching as Democrats in two special elections rip the repeal effort and run surprisingly close races in red-hued districts.
Michael Tomasky 05.05.17 9:39 AM ET
You’re going to be reading and hearing lots of breathless stuff over the next few weeks on health care. My advice to you would be not to take it seriously if it doesn’t recognize this basic fact: The is going to come down to the conference committee. That’s where the action is here.
You remember what a conference committee is? The House passes its version of a bill. The Senate passes its version. They’re different. Then, leaders from both chambers appoint a conference committee to smooth out the differences. Then, the agreed-upon bill goes back to both houses for passage a second time. Only then does it go to the president’s desk.
But what’s more likely is that the Senate Republicans pass something. It will be their own bill. Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, for one, has already said as much. Probably the two biggest points of departure from the House bill will be 1) senators, even most Republicans, won’t go for nearly a trillion dollars in Medicaid cuts, and 2) senators, even a lot of Republicans, would prefer to keep Obamacare rules on covering people with pre-existing conditions.
So the Senate’s going to pass a bill that’s less conservative than the House, and probably unacceptable to a lot of the Freedom Caucus people. And make no mistake—the Freedom Caucus people, the hottest of the red-hots, are who pushed this bill over the line yesterday. On the first go-round in late March, only seven of the caucus’ members voted yea. Thursday, 30 of them did. The caucus doesn’t disclose any official list of members but is thought to have around 35, so that’s a huge flip.
They’re not going to like what comes out of the Senate.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/05/05/the-three-senators-and-two-races-that-will-decide-the-fate-of-obamacare
