Breaking: Senate Republicans Pass Resolution That Begins Obamacare Repeal Process

Process Will Defund Affordable Care Act

At 1:13 PM EST the U.S. Senate passed a budget resolution that will begin the process of repealing Obamacare. The final vote tally was 51-48. The resolution instructs the House to have a repeal bill ready by January 27.

Seven years ago, on December 24, 2009, the Senate voted 60-39 to pass Obamacare. All Republicans voted against it, all Democrats voted for it. 

“Today, we take the first steps to repair the nation’s broken health care system, removing Washington from the equation and putting control back where it belongs: with patients, their families, and their doctors,” Republican Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement.

Republicans did not have the 60 votes needed to repeal Obamacare, so they opted to defund it via a budget resolution, which only requires a simple majority. 

“That means they can essentially gut the law, removing all the subsidies that help low- and middle-income people buy health insurance and getting rid of the smorgasbord of taxes — on medical devices, insurance companies and wealthy individuals — that pay for those subsidies,” NPR explained.

Republicans, despite having voted more than 60 times to repeal Obamacare, have never had a legitimte replacement plan. It is widely reported that they will take two to four years to replace the Affordable Care Act, leaving up to 30 million Americans without insurance, and many paying exceptionally high premiums for having pre-existing conditions, including HIV, diabetes, cancer, and even pregnancy.

Repealing Obamacare also devastates Medicare, and will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Donald Trump uring the presidential campaign promised he would never touch Social Security or Medicare.

Concerned citizens can call lawmakers in the House and Senate at 202-224-3121.

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