Last-ditch Republican effort to shoot down Obamacare

US SENATORS made a last-ditch effort yesterday to secure support for the latest Republican attempt to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, releasing revised legislation to appeal to undecided senators. The Bill had faced possible defeat this week as several senators voiced concerns.

The Senate is up against a Saturday deadline for deciding the fate of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, because of an expiring rule that lets the Republican healthcare legislation pass with just a simple 51-vote majority, instead of the 60-vote threshold needed for most measures. Republicans, who control the Senate 52-48, were finding it difficult even to clear that lower hurdle.

The Senate Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing yesterday in an attempt to build support for the bill and to tamp down Democratic criticism that the measure has not been thoroughly vetted.

Republican senators leading the effort yesterday released a revised version of their bill, originally introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy. It included a table that said some states where senators have been undecided, such as Alaska and

The last attempt to repeal Obamacare fell one vote short in July, in a humiliating setback for Trump.

Maine, would do better under the bill than under current law. The Washington Post first reported the revision.

For seven years, Republicans have hammered Obamacare as an unwarranted and overly expensive government intrusion into US healthcare.

President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare one of his top campaign promises in 2016. Democrats have fiercely defended it, saying it has extended health insurance to millions.

Democratic leaders roundly rejected the revised draft as a sleight of hand to gain support.

The last attempt to repeal Obamacare fell one vote short in July, in a humiliating setback for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Graham-Cassidy bill would take federal money spent on the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, as well as subsidies to help Americans buy private insurance, and divvy it up to the states in block grants. Advocates say that would give states more discretion to manage their own healthcare schemes.

Opponents fear that undoing Obamacare will mean millions lose healthcare, including some with pre-existing medical conditions. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to produce a preliminary analysis of the bill that would assess its impact on budget deficits. – Reuters