Live coverage: Senate debates repealing ObamaCare

The Hill will be providing updated coverage of the Senate’s healthcare debate. 

Vulnerable Republican’s amendment gets 10 votes

Democrats threaten to play hardball on ObamaCare repeal

4:15 p.m.

Senators voted 55-45 against an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and give lawmakers two years to come up with a replacement.

GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Susan Collins (Maine), Dean Heller (Nev.), John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rob Portman (Ohio) joined all Democrats in voting no. 

A vote on the amendment, which was widely expected to fail, was originally scheduled for late Wednesday morning but was delayed as senators tried to get clarity on a provision tied to abortion. 

McCain pitches more Medicaid funding

4:08 p.m.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is pitching a boost to Medicaid funding as part of any plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

McCain, who returned to the Senate on Tuesday after being diagnosed with brain cancer, has filed three amendments as part of the Senate’s healthcare debate.

“My amendments would address the concerns raised by Governor Doug Ducey and other leaders across the state about the impact of current proposals on Arizona’s Medicaid system, and ensure our citizens who are most in need do not have the rug pulled out from under them,” McCain said in a statement. 

The Arizona Republican could force a vote on all of the amendments as part of the Senate’s free-wheeling marathon session, known as a vote-a-rama.

One amendment would extend the phase out of the Medicaid expansion to 10 years, including an enhanced match in funding from the federal government through 2029.

The fate of ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion has been a key concern for several moderate GOP senators, including McCain. The Senate GOP repeal-and-replace plan ends the expansion by 2023, and those people will be eligible for tax credits to buy insurance.

McCain also wants to give extra federal assistance for states that expanded Medicaid before ObamaCare, and increase the overall growth rate for Medicaid spending above the Senate bill so that it includes an “inflator.”

The Senate proposal would have tied increases in the Medicaid growth rate to a general consumer price index after 2025, which typically rises at a slower rate. 

GOP discusses ‘skinny repeal’ at lunch

2 p.m.

GOP senators discussed the “skinny” ObamaCare repeal bill at their lunch on Wednesday.

The bill would leave much of ObamaCare in place, but likely repeal the individual and employer mandates and a tax on medical devices.

It’s seen as a possible fall-back option for the Senate, but it’s not clear it has enough support either. 

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), asked if he’d back it, said, “We really don’t know what the ‘skinny repeal’ would be.”

“We’re talking about what can we all agree on, what we can get at least 50” votes on, he said.

Johnson has been critical of leadership’s process of writing the ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill.

Graham shows tentative support for ‘skinny’ bill

1:35 p.m.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he would support a “skinny repeal” in hopes that a better bill with replacement measures could be worked out in a conference between the House and Senate.

“I would vote for a ‘skinny’ plan to get it in conference to come up with a replacement,” Graham said.

But he said he would vote against the plan if it came back from conference without any replacement measures.

Capito, Portman: No position yet on ‘skinny’ bill

1:23 p.m.

Moderate Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) both said Wednesday that they have not taken a position yet on a scaled-down “skinny” repeal bill.

They said they needed to find out what would be in it first.

Capito said she voted for the replacement bill on Tuesday night — which failed — because it included Portman’s amendment to add $100 billion to help people losing Medicaid get private coverage. 

The proposal was the first amendment to get a vote after senators took up the House-passed healthcare bill, which is being used as a vehicle for any Senate action, earlier Tuesday. 

Heller favorable on the ‘skinny’ healthcare bill

12:50 p.m.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said Wednesday he was inclined to support a scaled-down ObamaCare repeal bill.

“I look on it … favorably,” Heller said. “It’s good for the state of Nevada.”

While the contents of the bill haven’t officially been determined yet, Heller said he liked that it would only address ObamaCare.

Heller previously said he opposed the Senate’s replacement bill because it would cut Medicaid and end funding for ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion.

“The skinny bill eliminates any … entitlement reforms out of the bill. I’ve always said I’m for healthcare reform, not entitlement reform, and that makes it a healthcare reform bill,” Heller said.

Heller said he is concerned that the Medicaid changes could wind up back in the bill during conference with the House but doesn’t know yet how he will address those worries.

GOP delays vote on repeal

12:24 p.m.

The Senate has delayed a vote on a bill repealing ObamaCare.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the vote scheduled for midday was pushed to 3:30 p.m. The bill, which would repeal much of former President Barack Obama’s signature law, was not expected to have the 51 votes necessary to be approved, however.

GOP senators are struggling to come up with a measure that could get the bare minimum votes needed to clear the Senate.