US Senate aims for a 'skinny' Obamacare repeal as other options fail

SEEKING 'MORE ORGANIZED PROCESS'

President Donald Trump has come down hard on his fellow Republicans for failing to act on Obamacare, something he promised repeatedly to repeal and replace in his election campaign last year. Some Senate Republicans were growing uncomfortable with the chaotic debate.

"We've got to have a more organized process," Republican Senator Ron Johnson said, noting the skinny repeal would simplydelay acting on the core issue. "We just don't have the courage and really the intestinal fortitude to suck it up and ... do this right."

Late on Wednesday, only 10 senators voted for a largelysymbolic amendment stating lawmakers' commitment to preserve apart of Obamacare that helped states expand the government'sMedicaid insurance program for the poor to cover a wider net ofpeople.

Democrats refused to approve any amendment to a bill theydislike and the vote primarily highlighted deep divisions amongRepublicans. The amendment was introduced by Senator DeanHeller, who faces a tough re-election fight in Nevada next year,and supported by Senators Susan Collins, John McCain and otherparty moderates who have expressed skepticism about therepeal-and-replace process.

Trump attacked one of those senators, Lisa Murkowski ofAlaska, by name in an early morning tweet on Wednesday.

Murkowski, one of two party members who voted on Tuesday againstopening debate on a bill to end Obamacare, told MSNBC she wasnot worried about the political fallout.

"Every day shouldn't be about winning elections. How aboutjust doing a little bit of governing around here?" she said.

Healthcare industry organizations are similarly troubled andhave urged a more bipartisan effort.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which representshealth insurers across the country, said that if the individualmandate is repealed, it must be replaced with incentives forpeople to buy health insurance and keep it year-round.

The mandate is considered critical to helping hold down thecost of premiums, because it means that healthy people as wellas the sick, who incur high medical costs, buy insurance.

The group also said the government needed to fund subsidiesfor medical expenses and provide funds to cover high-costpatients.

Anthem Inc, a health insurer with more than 1million customers in Obamacare individual insurance plans,threatened to further shrink its 2018 market participationbecause of uncertainty about the government paying for thesubsidies that make the plans affordable for millions ofAmericans.

Reuters