A procedural health care vote is set for Tuesday in the Senate.
And if successful, the vote could lead to the start of a repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. As reported by the New York Times, GOP leaders can only afford to lose two Republican votes, one of which is already a “no” from Senator Susan Collins of Maine. Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was diagnosed last week with brain cancer, returns for the vote today. He is expected to be in favor of an ACA repeal. But the path to a repeal won’t be straightforward. A Senate debate will first have to happen. That means the question of repeal without replacement will be on the table, which is unlikely to happen. A vote on a repeal and replacement will then move forward, leading to a myriad of options.
So what can the public expect out of the Senate health care vote today? Libby Denkmann talks to guests to take a deep dive into the future of the ACA.
Guests:
Adriel Bettelheim, health care editor at POLITICO; he tweets
Kevin Whitelaw, Congress editor at Bloomberg; he tweets
Nathan W. Monroe, associate professor of political science at UC Merced; his focus includes Senate history