The US Senate has not supported a “skinny” repeal of the previous administration’s healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), widely known as Obamacare.
The repeal failed by a narrow margin of 59-49. At least three Republicans voted “no,” including John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski. The bill’s death in the Senate is seen as a blow to President Donald Trump. The US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) described the move as it as “a disappointing moment.”
BREAKING NEWS: Republican Senators McCain, Murkowski and Collins vote against a key health care amendment
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) July 28, 2017
The “no” vote followed long Senate debates on the controversial Health Care Freedom Act.
READ MORE: GOP splits further as ‘skinny’ Obamacare repeal may get rewritten in conference
Earlier, Republicans expressed concern that the “skinny” bill wasn’t ready to become law without further conferencing with the House. The bill suggested repealing Obamacare’s employer mandate until 2025 and cutting funding to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood for one year.
A total of 16 million Americans could have been left uninsured if the lawmakers had passed the plan, according to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates.
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