The New GOP Plan for Obamacare

Playbook: “Congressional Republicans are now dealing with a new political reality: since Trump told the New York Times he wants an immediate repeal and replace of Obamacare, they will need to vote on replacing Obamacare nearly immediately after scrapping the old law. So here is the plan, per several sources: The House and Senate get the ball rolling with procedural measures this week. The House will move first — and under Republicans’ best-case scenario, their goal is to repeal the law by late February after reconciliation goes through the committee process. Then, the House GOP will replace the law by mid- to late-March — under the GOP’s best-case, most aggressive scenario. The Senate’s plan is to take up what the House does, and amend it on the floor. In reality, Republicans never really planned to wait a long period of time to replace the law, but the dynamics have changed enough that the Hill feels increased urgency.”

“There are likely to be several legislative packages in the replacement process. Some will come as part of reconciliation, some will come in a Medicaid package and some will be tax-based provisions — plus other pieces that have yet to be determined.”