{"id":16793,"date":"2016-12-07T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T10:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=16793"},"modified":"2016-12-07T10:47:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-07T10:47:06","slug":"gop-still-splintered-over-obamacare-after-pence-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/gop-still-splintered-over-obamacare-after-pence-meeting.html","title":{"rendered":"GOP still splintered over Obamacare after Pence meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

GOP still splintered over Obamacare after Pence meeting<\/strong><\/span>
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GOP still splintered over Obamacare after Pence meeting:- <\/strong>Pence communicated that the incoming administration is prepared to work closely with Congress on the issue, senators said, but did not dictate how long the transition period should last. That decision will affect millions of Americans\u2019 health care and send insurance companies scrambling to adjust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe view on that probably is in a constant state of evolution, based on who you talk to,\u201d said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 GOP leader. \u201cThe question is: What\u2019s that duration? Structurally, it\u2019s at this point an open question. We\u2019re hoping to get some direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only firm plans are for the Senate to kick off the repeal effort as soon as Jan. 3 by passing a budget resolution \u2014 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is calling it the \u201cObamacare repeal resolution\u201d \u2014 that sets the table to repeal the Affordable Care Act on a simple majority vote. Then, shortly after Trump is sworn in, Republicans aim to have a repeal bill on his desk to sign.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what comes after that moment of catharsis that Republicans are struggling with.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers have proposed putting off the effective date of repeal from as little as six months to as long as three years to come up with a replacement \u2014 and give insurance markets a chance to prepare. Several senators suggested at the meeting with Pence that additional measures from Congress or the administration may be needed to address rising insurance premiums and avoid roiling the insurance markets in the period between repeal and replace, attendees said.<\/p>\n

The length of the transition is pitting hard-line conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz and members of the House Freedom Caucus, who favor a relatively speedy replacement, against Senate leaders who are pushing the three-year option.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took six years to get into this mess; it\u2019s going to take us a while to get out of it,\u201d said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). \u201cOne thing I know for sure is we can\u2019t fail to deliver on the promise to repeal Obamacare.\u201d
“The view on that probably is in a constant state of evolution based on who you talk to,” said Sen. John Thune of the replacement talks.<\/p>\n

“The view on that probably is in a constant state of evolution based on who you talk to,” said Sen. John Thune of the replacement talks. | AP Photo<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like three years, but in the House, [some] insist on two,\u201d said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.<\/p>\n

Incoming House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said the Senate\u2019s approach will meet \u201cmajor resistance,\u201d particularly after the Senate passed a bill in 2015 with a two-year delay that was vetoed by President Barack Obama. Some conservatives believe a transition could happen in as little as six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sooner we can get rid of it, the better,\u201d said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the outgoing leader of the Freedom Caucus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Democrats passed it in 14 months,\u201d added Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.). \u201cI\u2019m not going to vote for anything that\u2019s longer than two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked to respond to that resistance to a longer transition, Cornyn said: \u201cI don\u2019t know what the basis is for their opinion. Obviously, Speaker Ryan\u2019s got his work cut out for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Privately, Republican lawmakers said that a three-year transition could be a major political headache. If such a delay is enacted early next year, repeal would land in the thick of the next presidential primary season. Furthermore, Republicans believe they may have to vote to extend health care subsidies in any Obamacare replacement, which likely would be scored as a tax increase and turn off fiscal conservatives.<\/p>\n

Republicans are trying to model their 2017 effort after what passed the Senate in 2015. That bill was carefully crafted to clear the parliamentarian\u2019s ruling and already has a whip count that can pass the chamber. But delaying the transition period beyond two years is opening up the discussion further, with some Republicans now pushing a repeal of the requirement in Obamacare that dictates the minimum menu of benefits that insurance plans must provide.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether the Senate parliamentarian would allow them to add that to the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very important if we can [add it] because that\u2019s the real back-breaker in this whole thing,\u201d said Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.). \u201cIt is what has made the insurance prices so high, because you\u2019re forcing people to cover all this other stuff that they don\u2019t want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pence was diplomatic and deferential during the lunch meeting. Lawmakers are scrutinizing Trump\u2019s past statements on Obamacare, trying to divine what he wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point that [Pence] really made is that he\u2019s going to work closely with us. He\u2019s going to be up here working together with us,\u201d said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). Pence was \u201cnot that specific [but said] we have to have a transition and work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the party struggles over when exactly to disassemble Obamacare, others are trying to focus on developing a replacement as early as possible to give maximum assurance to insurers and voters that they won\u2019t be left in limbo. Republicans will need to immediately begin negotiating with Senate Democrats, who must be involved with any replacement plan to overcome a filibuster.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may take awhile \u2026 we\u2019ve spent six years acting like the Hatfields and McCoys,\u201d said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who chairs the committee with primary oversight over health care. He has said previously he would prefer coming up with a replacement plan in tandem with repeal.<\/p>\n

That option is fading, namely because it would require stalling on a repeal vote. But Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said a long-term delay could also send a dispiriting message to conservatives: \u201cBoy, we\u2019re going to rush in there, and we\u2019re going to do away with this thing \u2026 in three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very doable to replace it and repeal it simultaneously. And that way, you do it while it\u2019s fresh, you do it while it\u2019s on people\u2019s minds, you do it while people are very aware of all of the issues,\u201d said Corker, who says he is undecided on the best approach. \u201cAgain, I\u2019m listening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scrambling things even more, 45 Senate Republicans signed on to a bill in 2015 from Cruz that would allow only a six-month transition, which is more in line with what House conservatives want. Cruz declined to comment for this report when asked about his colleagues\u2019 preference for a three-year period.<\/p>\n

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she has surveyed a number of insurance experts on what would cause the least amount of turmoil. She voted against Obamacare repeal in 2015 after supporting previous iterations. But she is diving into the latest effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know the answer. I truly don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve heard estimates from experts ranging from a minimum of two years to five years,\u201d Collins said. \u201cFive years strikes me as too long \u2026 but I don\u2019t think you can do this overnight, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senators said it\u2019s unclear what approach Trump prefers. Absent a clear beacon, GOP lawmakers said they will lean heavily on Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trump\u2019s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. While Trump has said he wants to keep parts of Obamacare, such as requiring insurance for pre-existing conditions, Price has been one of the most ardent anti-Obamacare voices in the House.GOP still splintered over Obamacare after Pence meeting<\/span>After meeting with Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Tuesday to hash out plans to repeal Obamacare, top Senate Republicans are no closer to resolving an issue that\u2019s splintering the GOP heading into the start of Donald Trump\u2019s presidency: how long to give themselves to replace the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:- http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/12\/gop-obamacare-meetings-232280 <\/span><\/p>\n

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