HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Just when the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act appeared to be dead, a last-ditch push to obliterate the law could be nearing a showdown vote in the Senate, and a handful of Republicans insist they are closing in on the votes.
The leaders of the latest repeal effort, Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, say their drive is gaining momentum. But it is still a long shot. Under their bill, millions could lose coverage, Medicaid would see the same magnitude of cuts that earlier repeal bills extracted, and insurers in some states could charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions…
Refusing to accept defeat, Mr. Graham and Mr. Cassidy have come up with yet another bill. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has told them he will find time for it on the Senate floor if they can muster 50 votes, which would ensure passage with Vice President Mike Pence on hand to break a tie.
Mr. McConnell is pressing the Congressional Budget Office for a quick analysis of the Graham-Cassidy bill.”
-Robert Pear, “Republicans Demand Another Vote to Repeal the Affordable Care Act,” The New York Times online, Sept. 18, 2017