What’s next for health care bill

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans were working to pick up the pieces Tuesday after their attempt to repeal and replace the Obama-era health care law collapsed a second time.

After working for months on a new health package, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Tuesday that the Senate would vote to move ahead on a straight-up repeal early next week, at the request of President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other Republicans.

But that effort is failing. At least three GOP senators came out against that plan, which would deny McConnell the votes needed to even debate a bill.

McConnell noted that a Republican-led Congress voted to repeal the law in 2015. But President Barack Obama was in the White House at the time, so Republicans knew he would veto the measure.

This time, with Republican President Donald Trump in the White House, the vote would count.

“If you voted in 2015 for it and now you’re going to vote against it, you’ve got some explaining to do,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

A look at what could come next:

One more time

If Senate Republicans can’t round up the votes to repeal the health care law, they have several options. They can keep talking among themselves in an attempt to come up with another plan crafted in private.

This strategy has been unsuccessful so far because, with 52 members, Senate Republicans can only afford to lose two votes. Conservatives and moderates in the House managed to bridge their differences and narrowly pass a bill. Since then, the president has called the House measure “mean” and Senate Republicans have been unable to rally around a replacement.

Work with Democrats

Senate Republicans can work with Democrats on ways to improve the pro- gram, but this would be a difficult thing to arrange.

Republicans say they are committed to repealing Obama’s health care law, which is a nonstarter for Democrats. Democrats say they are open to improving the program, but that would fall well-short of stated GOP goals.

Move on to tax reform

Congressional Republicans could drop health care and move on to overhauling the nation’s tax code.

Trump seemed to push this approach Tuesday.

“I think we’re probably in that position where we’ll just let Obamacare fail,” the president said. “We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. I can tell you that the Republicans are not going to own it.”

Trump said letting the program fail will encourage Democrats come to the table and negotiate.