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The Voter’s Speakeasy featuring unbiased reporting and insight into life at Vote Smart from our staff, interns, and volunteers.
Did the Senate vote to repeal Obamacare?
In my last post, I joked that voters don’t like to read. Well, the same can be said about some members of Congress and the Senate. Simply searching through our records of public statements, you’ll find calls to vote just days after a bill is finalized. This practice is so common that one senator has even re-introduced a “Read the Bills” resolution—most recently in response to the health care debate.
With such a rushed process, it’s inevitable that voters may feel out of touch with what is going on in the capitol. Lucky for you, and frankly for me, we have researchers who read and summarize bills so that you and I don’t have to.
Exhibit A: the national healthcare debate has caused major confusion. For the past few weeks, headline after headline announced the Senate healthcare bill was dead—only to be followed by another headline stating otherwise.
On July 25, your social media feed was likely filled with victory cries from those seeking to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the still-evolving Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Opponents also took to social media with messages of defeat. However, the debate is anything but finished.
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So what’s actually going on with the Senate healthcare bill? Is the Affordable Care Act repealed? And, what is the Senate voting on?
Well, it’s tricky, so bear with me—I’m not even sure if ...