On July 25, after much back-and-forth in the Senate and the dramatic return of Senator John McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, the Senate agreed to open debate on legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining all Senate Democrats in voting against the debate, Vice President Mike Pence stepped in to break the tie and get the legislation on the table.
Soon after, however, a vote on a version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) failed by a count of 43-57.
On July 26, the Senate is likely to vote on a repeal-only version of the bill—a vote that is also expected to fail. After that, multiple amendments to the bill will likely be introduced (by both parties) in the hopes of getting to some kind of consensus. We’ll keep you posted as new developments unfold.