But at least three Republican senators have already said they oppose repealing Obamacare without an agreement on replacement legislation, likely dooming its prospects. McConnell can only lose two votes from his 52-seat majority in the 100-seat Senate to pass healthcare legislation.
Senate Republicans passed a straight repeal bill two years ago, but Obama vetoed it. The upcoming repeal vote will include a two-year delay, McConnell said.
That would “give us an opportunity to build something better on a bipartisan basis, that’s what I sense most of our members would like to vote on now, and we’ll be doing that in the near future,” McConnell told a news conference on Tuesday.
Shoring Up State Markets
An initial hurdle in coming weeks will be shoring up faltering state insurance markets by ensuring that insurers keep receiving subsidies that help lower the cost of insurance for low-income individuals.
The Trump administration will continue making the subsidy payments through August while a related Republican lawsuit is pending. The uncertainty beyond that has rattled insurers.
Republican senators have acknowledged the need to address the unstable markets but resisted Democratic calls to fund the subsidies without accompanying reforms, calling it a “bailout” for insurance companies.
Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a part of the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and disabled, known as CHIP, expires on September 30 and will require reauthorization.
Bills to address the subsidy payments and CHIP would likely require 60 votes for passage, acting as a barometer of how inclined Republicans and Democrats are to work together, industry lobbyists and experts said.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that Republicans should allow the insurance markets to fail before working with Democrats. But Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, the head of the Senate Committee on Health, Labor and Pensions, said he would begin holding hearings on the issue in the next few weeks.
Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the panel, said it would be “very smart” for lawmakers to work together to stabilize the markets by funding the subsidies.
“It would send a very strong message to the market, if Congress passes a bill. . . . I think that would do a lot to create some stabilization that is much needed,” Murray told Reuters.