Schumer: Where Is the GOP ACA Change Bill?

By Allison Bell

July 26, 2017 at 03:32 PM

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats will stop trying to amend the Republicans' Affordable Care Act change proposal, because it's still not clear what the proposal actually is.

Schumer spoke after some Republicans crossed party lines to vote against two major versions of an ACA change bill, but all Republicans united to keep the ACA change debate alive on the Senate floor.

Senate Republicans cannot come up with enough votes to pass an ACA change bill, and that means efforts to pass an ACA change bill are dead, Schumer said.

"We don't even have a final bill to amend," Schumer said. "Until we see the real bill, Democrats will offer no further amendments."

Schumer said he has heard rumors that Senate Republican leaders will be coming out with a new, short ACA change bill, but that he has not seen the bill.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said the new Republican bill might simply eliminate some ACA provisions, such as the individual mandate and employer coverage offer mandate. Eliminating those provisions without providing stabilizing measures could make the commercial health insurance market even less stable and drive up prices, Franken said.

— Read Trump Calls on GOP to 'Repeal Obamacare' Amid Uncertainty on Votes on ThinkAdvisor

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