Liberals want to label the Republican repeal and replace effort a failure before the hard work even begins. There is a replace plan, but confusion is raging among the media, perhaps because its details and logic haven’t been explained in public. Congress has a narrow window to use the reconciliation measure early to repeal the law because the procedure is a leftover from the last fiscal year. While the repeal train advances in Congress, the same congressional committees will debate a replacement. This parallel measure will require 60 Senate votes, and the GOP is inviting Democrats to contribute. The replace portion would keep the Obamacare status quo for two or three years to allow a phase-in and orderly transition, but the GOP won’t wait two or three years to design the new system.
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