Obamacare remains the law of the land. In the early morning hours on July 27, 2017, the GOP senators failed to vote for a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare. The key vote came from Republican Senator John McCain who decided to vote “no” on the bill. He was joined by fellow Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who also cast “no” votes. With all Democrats voting “no,” the bill ended with a count of 49-51 count.
The “skinny repeal,” which was only eight pages long and crafted a few hours before the vote, was unpopular with several Republican senators. If the “skinny repeal” would have passed, the Congressional Budget Office projected that 16 million Americans would lose health care. It would have also led to a 20 percent increase in premiums each year. Several leading health organizations and 10 governors spoke out against the bill before the vote. The “skinny repeal” essentially didn’t solve the health care issues in America; it would have made things worse.
But President Donald Trump and other Republicans who sided with the skinny repeal never took the time to solve the problems associated with healthcare. Instead, their entire agenda was an attempt to destroy the legacy of former President Barack Obama’s signature bill. There was never an attempt to make Obamacare better for Americans. Instead, Trump and his fellow Republicans treated the bill as if it was a political sport. They were more interested in a win than creating a solution.
In the end, their shortsightedness proved to be their downfall.
Obamacare will remain the law, as millions will continue to have access to health coverage. Moments after the vote, Trump tweeted in anger by posting, “3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch.”
Even in defeat, Trump’s hate for Obama remains apparent. It’s a form of hatred that nearly caused chaos in the healthcare industry and would have led to 16 million Americans without health coverage.
