US Senate rejects plan to repeal Affordable Healthcare Act without replacement ready

Proposed legislation to repeal major parts of the Affordable Healthcare Act, with a two-year implementation delay to give lawmakers time to craft a replacement bill, failed to secure the minimum 51 votes in order to pass in the US Senate on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the Senate narrowly voted in favour of proceeding with debate on various proposals and amendments to overhaul the current healthcare law.

The failed bill was similar to a measure passed by the Senate in 2015 that called for repealing the Affordable Healthcare Act by 2020, but which had been vetoed by former President Barack Obama. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a revised healthcare reform bill proposed by Senate Republicans would increase the number of uninsured people in the US by 32 million by 2026, compared to current law.

The vote follows another one on a separate bill this week that rejected a measure combining the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, the initial proposal Senate Republicans unveiled lastmonth, with an additional $100 billion in funding for people on Medicaid, as well as an amendment reducing the level of minimal coverage required by insurance plans. Senators are also expected to vote on a so-called "skinny repeal" option that would eliminate employer and individual mandates while retaining much of the current healthcare law. 

Republican lawmakers are hoping that passing a scaled-back proposal would at least permit the start of negotiations with members of the House of Representatives over their repeal bill, which passed in May, but was eventually pulled due to lack of support.