The United States Senate on Tuesday voted narrowly to begin repealing the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
The procedural vote was not supported by any Democrats. Fifty Republicans voted in favour of debating on replacing the Bill, with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Republican leader John McCain, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last week, returned to the House to applause and cast a vote in favour of dismantling Obamacare.
Though the party won the vote, it will be an uphill battle for them to repeal Obamacare. The Republicans still have not decided what to replace the healthcare Bill with, The New York Times reported. Their most comprehensive replacement plan also fell short of the 60 votes required.
President Donald Trump, however, viewed opening the debate on the matter as a victory. He said, “Now we move forward towards truly great health care for the American people… This was a big step.”
Estimates by the Congressional Budget Office showed that the new draft of the Republican Bill will leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026, compared to Obamacare. Repealing the ACA without replacing it will have 32 million people uninsured by 2026, The Guardian reported.
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