Posted by Michael Wonder on 16 Nov 2016
Republican lawmakers are scrambling to find an alternative to Obamacare
16 November 2016 - Congress is poised to repeal the Affordable Care Act. What might replace it?
THE last time President Barack Obama counted, congressional Republicans had tried to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), his health-care law, more than 60 times. Donald Trump’s election victory means their efforts will no longer be in vain. Yet despite Republicans’ confidence in Obamacare’s shortcomings, what exactly will happen to the law when Mr Trump takes office remains something of a mystery.
Because Republicans lack the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, they will be unable to pass a comprehensive health-care bill without Democratic votes. Instead, they must rely on a process dubbed “budget reconciliation”, which allows a simple majority to pass tax-and-spending measures. Republicans used this process to send a law repealing parts of Obamacare to the president’s desk. Mr Obama vetoed it early this year. Next year, President Trump will probably sign it.
