Why the revised health care bill is dead in the water

Two new defections last week signalled the end of the road for the revised health care bill. Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas said that the new legislation did not go far enough in repealing Obamacare with Moran saying “we should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy”. Two other Republican senators, Rand Paul and Susan Collins, were already against the bill, so the defections left it dead in the water.

The infographic uses data from The New York Times and shows how that came to pass. All 48 Democrats were against the legislation, along with two independents and those four Republicans. Only 14 Republicans supported it, two were concerned by it and a further 32 were unclear or undecided. Even though the Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, the defections ensured the bill would not receive the 50 votes needed to pass. Last month, The Congressional Budget Office found that the bill would have led to 22 million Americans losing their health insurance coverage by 2026. (Source: Statista)