Republicans to try health bill again

August Senate recess could be cancelled to push through controversial changes to Obamacare law

WASHINGTON — Republicans will introduce their reworked health care bill Thursday and begin trying to muscle it through the Senate next week, the chamber’s GOP leader said Tuesday as the party tried healing divisions threatening to mortally wound the chances for one of its top goals.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also said he would delay the chamber’s August recess for two weeks, a rare move he said would give lawmakers time to break logjams on health care, defence and executive branch nominations. Growing numbers of Republicans, chagrined at Congress’ failure to send any major bills to President Donald Trump, had called on McConnell to make that move.

“We’ll be on health care next week,” McConnell told reporters, even as the prospects for his divided party’s drive to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s health care law seemed gloomy as ever.

In the face of unanimous Democratic opposition, the health care bill will crash if just three of the 52 GOP senators oppose it. McConnell suddenly cancelled a doomed vote last month on an initial version of the legislation, and at least a dozen Republicans have said they oppose the initial package or distanced themselves from it.

The GOP bill would ease coverage requirements Obama’s 2010 statute placed on insurers, like paying for maternity services; erase his tax penalties on people who don’t buy policies; cut Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, disabled and nursing home patients; and repeal most tax boosts that law levied on wealthier people and medical firms.

McConnell has said if the GOP health care drive fails, he’d pursue a narrower measure aimed at propping up insurance markets. That effort would likely require talks with Democrats.