O’Care is still kicking

Another Senate epic fail to repeal

The GOP-led Senate failed again on Wednesday in its effort to kill ObamaCare, with seven Republicans joining a united Democratic caucus in rejecting a repeal bill in a 55 to 45 vote.

The bill would have struck down major parts of the current health-care law beginning in two years, giving lawmakers time to cobble together a replacement.

The vote was the second setback in two days as Republicans, desperate for a win, scrambled to pass some version of their legislation to get rid of the Affordable Care Act.

The GOP-led upper chamber passed the same repeal measure in 2015 — but that was when senators knew full well President Barack Obama would veto it.

President Trump took to Twitter to single out Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who, along with fellow Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, voted against even opening debate on the healthcare overhaul.

“Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!” the president wrote.

Senate leaders, struggling to keep the party’s seven-year promise to unravel ObamaCare, were trying to gain support for a slimmed-down “skinny” repeal bill that would throw the issue to a Senate-House negotiating committee.

Republican senators said they were still considering what would be in the scaled-down repeal, which could eliminate mandates requiring individuals and employers to obtain or provide health insurance, and abolish a tax on medical device manufacturers.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Senate Republican, said the party was trying to “figure out what the traffic will bear, in terms of getting 50 of our members to vote for things that will repeal as much of ObamaCare as possible.”

Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been unable to convince his full caucus to get behind several versions of the repeal-and-replace effort.

The debate in the Senate, which started Tuesday, is limited to 20 hours. It is expected to end Thursday.