Some GOP Lawmakers Fear Repealing Obamacare Without A Replacement

[DonViejo]

By LAUREN FOX Published JANUARY 4, 2017, 2:12 PM EDT

In a closed-door meeting in the House basement Wednesday with the whip team, a Republican rank-and-file member rose to convey his deep fear that Republicans were making a big mistake by repealing the Affordable Care Act without any concrete plan to replace it with.

According to one source in the room, the member rose and got the room's attention.

"You lose all leverage once you repeal this thing. There will be people on the left who will never help you replace it and there will be people on the right who aren't going to help you either," the member said. "We will own this thing and there will be consequences."

The focus in the House at the moment has been on how to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The goal is to have a repeal bill on President-elect Trump's desk by the end of February. Repealing Obamacare, after all, is what Republicans have been campaigning on for the last seven years. But the problem is that repealing Obamacare now and replacing it later could come with a myriad of policy and political baggage.

The House isn't the only place where members are sounding the alarm. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), whose own state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, said earlier this week that Republicans will be making a mistake if they repeal the Affordable Care Act without replacing it at the same time.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/some-republicans-fear-repealing-obamacare-without-a-replacement

[no_hypocrisy]

1. What to expect from repealing Obamacare without a replacement:

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. It is a tough conundrum, how do you destroy Obama's legacy for the sole

purpose of doing just that, and not piss all the people off that he has helped.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. They do not want a Economic Crash again.

They survived the last melt down because of Obama and they know it. You are talking of a couple of trillion pulled out of the Nations Economy over night. Health Care and Insurance Companies will file Bankruptcy with in weeks.

[earthside]

4. Make them own it.

The Republicans have made a lot of political hay over repealing the ACA.

And ... they are going to do it in one fashion or the other.

So, it is time for Democrats to play hardball politics.

At this point the only way for universal coverage to happen in the future is for Republicans to take a beating for their wholesale repeal of Obamacare.

I just don't know if congressional Democrats are ruthless enough to do what it takes.