Lindsey Graham: House Health Care Bill Is ‘Mortally Wounded’

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 12: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., listens as Secretary of Defense nominee James Mattis testifies during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Jan. 12, 201... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 12: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., listens as Secretary of Defense nominee James Mattis testifies during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Wednesday said the Republican proposal to replace Obamacare was “mortally wounded,” and that he would tell President Donald Trump to pursue letting Obamacare collapse and starting over with a new bill.

In an appearance on NBC’s “Today,” Graham was asked whether House Republicans’ health care bill was “dead on arrival.”

“It is mortally wounded, I don’t know if it’s died yet,” Graham replied. “Rand Paul will not vote for the House bill, because he believes refundable tax credits is an entitlement in another form. My state did not take Medicaid expansion. The House bill allows open enrollment for the entire country all the way through 2019 for Medicaid, which is fundamentally broken. I don’t like that. This is the last best chance for Republicans to pass health care by themselves and screw it up.”

Graham said that he would advise Trump to “try to get a good bill,” but that, if he can’t, to keep Obamacare as law, and wait for what Graham described as its eventual collapse.

“Let Obamacare collapse and challenge the Democrats to help him fix a problem they created,” he said.

“We’re trying to do too much too quick as Republicans. We’re running through stop signs like the CBO letter,” he added later.

Graham noted that it was “a fantasy in the Senate” that something like a bill to buy insurance across state lines — which proponents of the current bill say is part of “phase three” of health reform, to come in the future — would get 60 votes in the Senate

“Slow down, get it right,” he said.


On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday, Graham had similar advice for the Trump administration

“Here’s what I would tell the President,” Graham said. “If you can’t get a better deal and if you can’t protect that 62-year-old worker in Greenville from having dramatic premium increases because Democrats won’t work with you and you can’t get the Republican Party on board, stop, take a time-out, let it collapse then turn to the Democrats and say, ‘This was the system you created. It has collapsed now help me replace it,’ and that is what I would do.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Two things Missy

    “Let Obamacare collapse and challenge the Democrats to help him fix a problem they created,” he said.
    Ok we’re ready for single payer

    “We’re trying to do too much too quick as Republicans. We’re running through stop signs like the CBO letter,” he added later.
    We only had 8 years ferchristsakes.
    Don’t rush us

  2. how are the optics of letting the ACA ‘fail’ going to be any better than either passing a crappy piece of legislation the deprives millions of health care or ‘not doing anything’ when your party clearly has the chance going to be better?

  3. Two problems with Lindsey’s hands-off idea: 1) The GOP is doing its best to help Obamacare collapse, so it’s far from hands-off, and 2) If they succeed, the GOP will own that collapse. We don’t elect leaders to fix only those problems they themselves create. Also, Lindsey Graham is a putz.

  4. The buzzards are circling. Anybody that RAyn has offended or stepped on in past years will now try to draw blood. Include those who want the speakership.

    Let the Games begin!

  5. I’ve heard of Norway Rats, but not Southern rats. No matter, scurry away, little GOP’ers, scurry away…

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