Republicans Have An Obamacare 'Replacement' Problem
By LAUREN FOX Published FEBRUARY 8, 2017, 6:00 AM EST
Tierney Sneed and Caitlin MacNeal contributed to this report.
Their slogan is "repeal and replace," but as Republicans debate their vision for an Obamacare alternative, they are beginning to see that options are limited, the politics are fraught and the clock is already ticking into President Donald Trump's first 100 days.
Republicans are at a crossroads with their replacement. Either they can pass a repeal bill in the coming weeks and hope Democrats – facing political pressure in red states – will assist them later with a replacement. Or Republicans can go it alone on a replacement, relying heavily on administrative actions and limited procedural tactics to partially overhaul America's health care system. At the moment, they appear to betting they can come up with an adequate replacement even if Democrats stand in their way.
"I don't think it's going to happen immediately. It's going to take longer than some figured," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ). "It's complex, but I think we will."
On Capitol Hill, Republicans are bracing to charge ahead at this point along party lines even if that means their replacement plan becomes limited by what they can tuck into a reconciliation package. Reconciliation only requires 51 votes to pass in the Senate, but the process only allows Republicans to make changes to Obamacare that have budgetary effects. It severely limits their ability to make the kind of sweeping regulatory changes they've talked about for seven years.
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