McConnell: ACA must be fixed if repeal is not a possibility

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that if upper chamber Republicans cannot agree on a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, that swift action must be taken to stabilize state ACA exchanges.

“If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur,” McConnell told attendees at a southern Kentucky luncheon.

McConnell’s remarks coincide with recent announcements by many insurers that they will not participate in state ACA exchanges next year because of cost concerns as well as mounting evidence suggesting that the Senate health-care bill is on life support.

Ten upper chamber Republicans have said they will not support the legislation in its current form. The Senate’s 46 Democrats and two independent members also oppose the bill.

McConnell has long advocated repealing the ACA in its entirety but seems to have softened his tone since last week, when he was forced to send lawmakers home for the Fourth July recess without voting on the bill.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million within the next decade.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday responded favorably to McConnell’s suggestion that problems with associated with the ACA could be fixed without repealing the law.

“It’s encouraging that Sen. McConnell today acknowledged that the issues with the exchanges are fixable, and opened the door to bipartisan solutions to improve our health care system,” Schumer said in a statement.

President Donald Trump last week urged Senate Republicans, if necessary, to go ahead and repeal the ACA and then proceed with replacement legislation at a later date.

This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News