Republicans drop push to undo Obamacare

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans decided Tuesday not to hold a vote on unwinding the Affordable Care Act, effectively preserving the landmark 2010 law for the foreseeable future.

In deciding not to take up the latest proposal, authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Bill Cassidy, La. - but not gaining enough support to pass - Republicans are abandoning achieving the policy goal that has animated their party for seven years.

Top Republicans, however, also indicated they have little interest in shoring up the existing insurance market operating under the law known as Obamacare.

Instead, they suggested, the ongoing instability would backfire on Democrats and build momentum for Obamacare's eventual repeal.

'I personally think it's time for the American people to see what the Democrats have done to them on health care,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. 'They're going to find they can't pay for it, they're going to find that it doesn't work. ... Now that will make it tough on everybody. Maybe that's what it take to wise people up.”

Wednesday is the deadline for insurers to sign contracts with the federal government so they can sell health plans on the marketplaces for 2018. Many companies are hiking these rates by double digits, but they have suggested they would curb such increases if they had assurances the federal government would provide cost-sharing reduction payments for all of next year.

In Iowa, only one company - Medica - plans to sell individual policies statewide on the exchange next year, if it gets hefty rate increases.

State officials have been seeking federal approval of a 'stopgap” measure they say would stabilize Iowa's market, and draw back some insurers, but the federal government had yet to give its final approval.

Obamacare enrollment begins Nov. 1.

At the moment, the Trump administration is covering cost-sharing payments for insurers only on a month-to-month basis; a White House official confirmed Tuesday it had made a payment for September. Asked if the president intended to continue making payments, the aide said officials have not decided.

Republicans accepted the reality Monday evening that their push to unravel the health law had sputtered out after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joined two of her fellow Republicans - John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky - in opposition.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said he was 'disappointed in certain so-called Republicans” who would not back the latest bill.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that bill eventually would cause 'millions” to lose health insurance.

Republican leaders could ask Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., to revive negotiations with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on a bipartisan package to stabilize the insurance marketplaces.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., reiterated Tuesday his party's willingness to work with Republicans to fix the current health care law - if they abandoned their effort to undo it altogether.

Some congressional Republicans - like Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., who represents a swing district - echoed that.

But it seemed, at least for now, unlikely. Many Republicans oppose approving subsidies without overhauling the insurance market and limiting Medicaid.

At the moment, neither party's proposal to address the existing law's current problems has enough votes to pass.