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The rush to repeal Health Care law

Last Thursday the Senate leadership pulled the veil off of their health care repeal and replacement act. While Senators struggled to read and understand the 142-page bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said leadership wanted to have the bill approved before the July 4 recess.

Why the haste? Because Republicans in the Senate have been campaigning in the last couple of elections on a pledge to “repeal and replace” the unpopular Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Republicans had been campaigning on that issue since it passed, and the conservative base of the party has been getting fed up with the inability of Congress to do that, even with Republicans controlling House, Senate and White House.

On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office came out with its analysis of the Senate bill, which is slightly less “mean” than the House bill (as President Trump described it).

According to the CBO, the Senate bill would only kick 22 million people off of their health care by 2026, as compared to 23 million for the House version.

McConnell is not likely to get his July 4 approval for the bill, given the paper thin majority in the Senate and the fact that five Republican senators have voiced objections to the bill.

Perhaps the Republicans in Congress should work on drawing up a bill that will work for America, rather than a bill that will get them re-elected with the least amount of trouble.

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