Congressional Leaders Look Ahead To Obamacare Fix

Date: December 08, 2016

Senate Majority Leader Vows To Prioritize Burdensome Mandate’s Repeal In 2017

In comments that “underscor[e] the GOP’s commitment to repealing” Obamacare “even as its replacement plan remains unclear,” Senate Majority Leader McConnell told reporters this week that a resolution to repeal the law will be “the first item up in the new year,” Politico reported. McConnell also said that “he would like to ‘get Democratic cooperation’ during the difficult process of replacing ‘a very, very controversial law.’” The New York Times said that Senate GOP leaders appeared to agree with the “repeal and delay” strategy favored by House Republicans, “which could keep parts of the health law in place for several years, as Congress works with the administration of Donald J. Trump to devise a replacement.” Reuters reported that McConnell did not indicate when the repeal would take effect. Sen. John Barrasso “said it might be effective in two or three years, and that the timeframe was still being debated.” McClatchy says that while McConnell and other Republicans “had few precise details of how or when they’d replace the 6 1/2-year-old” law, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune “offered some principles,” saying that after repeal, “We will go about the process of replacing in a step-by-step way the Obamacare provisions that we think have caused the most damage and put in place reforms that we think will really work.” Incoming Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) meanwhile argued that Republicans “have no solution” and vowed that Democrats “won’t go along with their attempts to unravel the law,” Bloomberg Politics reported. Schumer said, “Bring it on. … They don’t know what to do. They’re like the dog that caught the bus.”

What This Means For Small Businesses

Small business owners bear the brunt of costs associated with Obamacare, a burdensome regulatory mandate that has harmed small businesses. Discussion of repealing Obamacare has happened for years, but in 2017 there may be momentum for positive change to the healthcare law as a new administration takes office.

Additional Reading

The New Republic also examined ways Obamacare could be repealed in 2017.

Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.

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