GOP Senator Is So Over Repealing Obamacare: ‘We’re Past That’

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, ranking member on the Senate Aging Committee speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, during the committee's hearing to examine older Americans and student loan d... Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, ranking member on the Senate Aging Committee speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, during the committee's hearing to examine older Americans and student loan debt. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) MORE LESS

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) doesn’t sound ready and raring to repeal Obamacare even if Republicans take control of the Senate next year.

In an interview on Thursday, flagged by The New Republic’s Brian Beutler, Collins said that she thought “we’re past the point” of Obamacare repeal and should instead work to fix the law.

“You know at this point, I think we’re past that. I think it would’ve been much better if there’d been a bipartisan bill crafted in 2008 that had provisions that both parties could agree on, such as prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions,” she said.

“I think at this stage what we should do is a number of bills that would fix flaws in Obamacare,” she continued. “I think we’re past the point of being able to repeal the bill altogether. And as you point out, there are some good provisions in the bill, as well as some that have increased the cost of health care.”

However, as Beutler noted, Collins did not explicitly say whether she would vote against a bill that defunded or repealed the law.

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  1. as well as some that have increased the cost of health care.

  2. So in other words, you lost and we won.

    Go on, just say it for me.

  3. Perhaps the Senator would care to explain how you “prevent discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions” without some kind of mandate that the healthy buy insurance? Her party still lacks any alternative and their “repeal and replace” promise is utter baloney.

  4. Avatar for meri meri says:

    Ah, so once again some shithead is preaching that “bipartisan stuff is the best stuff”.

    If you want to shoot me twice, and I don’t want me shot at all, shooting me “only” once is not, in fact, an acceptable compromise.

  5. Susan…please go talk to Representative Boehner and find out that, no, you’re not over ‘that’.

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