A bipartisan Senate deal to stabilize Obamacare’s exchanges is in peril as Republicans focus on taking another stab at tackling Obamacare.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, told reporters Tuesday that his efforts to reach a bipartisan deal to stabilize the exchanges have been stymied by a shifting political landscape on healthcare.
It also may have trouble getting through the House if passed.
House Speaker Paul Ryan told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the bill would not be viable for the House GOP, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“There’s not a lot for House conservatives to like in a plan that bails out insurers but does nothing to fix the broken system,” the source said.
Politico reported that the White House also was not on board, further complicating Alexander’s path to finalizing a deal.
“It is hard to get a result if the House won’t pass it and the president won’t sign it,” the Tennessee Republican said Tuesday. “I know how to get bipartisan results, I’m not a magician.”
Alexander said the last-minute Obamacare overhaul bill from four GOP senators wasn’t the only obstacle to reaching a deal. He also pointed to Democrats who co-sponsored a socialized healthcare bill introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., last week.
“Last week, I think we got a good opportunity, then 15 Democrats jumped on Medicare for All, Republicans got busy with another repeal and replace, and it completely changed the political environment,” he said.
The latest overhaul bill would send Obamacare funding to states through block grants and would eliminate Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a top sponsor of the bill, said Monday that his bill would complement Alexander’s stabilization plan.
Alexander and Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the HELP Committee, are narrowing the deal to guaranteeing Obamacare insurer subsidies for a year and adding flexibility to states to waive Obamacare regulations.
Cassidy said his bill couldn’t include the insurer subsidies because of parliamentarian issues. The Senate is using a process called reconciliation that allows a bill to be passed with only 51 votes.
Alexander said a bipartisan stabilization deal is not dead and he is still talking with Democrats to try to reach an agreement. The idea is to hold a vote on the bill next week, the same time that the Senate is expected to take up Cassidy’s overhaul bill.
