Will These Republican Lawmakers Abandon Americans to Their Obamacare Fate?

Repealing Obamacare seemed like the easiest thing a Republican Congress could do. The lawmakers somehow managed to send a repeal bill to the former president, who promptly vetoed it.

Why can’t they do the same with a Republican in the White House?

After failing to pass a repeal bill so far this year, lawmakers reportedly might be close to getting the job done. The latest version of the measure, called the Graham-Cassidy bill, would end Medicaid expansion funding and subsidies and give block grants to states, allowing more flexibility.

But Senator Rand Paul, who voted for the most recent repeal measure, called the skinny bill, opposes this version. He thinks it doesn’t go far enough.

From the Washington Times:

Hopes of gaining Mr. McCain’s vote were heightened this week when Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, heaped praise on the latest bill.

But Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, signed onto a letter from a group of governors Tuesday. He said he is worried that the repeal bill would squash efforts to expand Medicaid to 36,000 Alaska residents and tamp down runaway premiums.

“That coverage must be protected — which is why I joined a bipartisan group of governors in a continued push for Congress to follow a thorough process. Health care should not be a partisan issue,” he said in a statement.

Bill sponsors hit back late Tuesday with a letter of support from 15 of the country’s 34 Republican governors. They said, “Obamacare is broken and the states are the best place to fix it.”

Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John McCain voted against the skinny bill, and all three probably will vote against this one as well. Americans who oppose Obamacare would have to wait until 2018 for further action on repealing a law that forces them to buy “affordable” health insurance they can’t afford.