Democrats say House Republicans may have to vote again on their Obamacare repeal bill before sending it to the Senate, citing among other things an obscure provision that affects health care for Native Americans.
Republicans dismissed the problem as hypothetical, but taking another vote is the last thing the House GOP wants to do, after barely managing to pass the bill on May 4 with a razor-thin 217-213 margin after weeks of negotiations with dissidents in their own party. House Speaker Paul Ryan still hadnt sent the bill to the Senate by Monday afternoon, as lawmakers await a ruling on whether the measure is eligible for a streamlined Senate procedure allowing the GOP to pass it with a simple majority.
The Senate parliamentarians decision on that question could come this week, possibly as soon as late Monday.
Republicans and Democrats met with the Senate parliamentarian earlier in the day. Members of both parties say the latest obstacle for the GOP involves a provision in the House bill that strikes Obamacares cost-sharing subsidies available to help low-income Americans afford their health policies, including a provision extending them to Native Americans, according to congressional aides.
Democrats argue that the Native American cost-sharing eligibility issue falls under the jurisdiction of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. If thats so, the bill wouldnt qualify for the streamlined procedure, which requires all policy changes to go through either the Senate Health or Finance committees, said Ed Lorenzen, a senior adviser to the independent Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
"If the parliamentarian rules that repeal of Section 1402 implicates Indian Affairs Committee jurisdiction it would be a fatal violation," Lorenzen said, referring to the section of law containing the cost-sharing. That would require House action "to correct the problem," he said.
And this time, a House vote would be taken after rank-and-file Republicans have seen an analysis of the bill by the Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan CBO reported May 25 that Republicans revised bill would undermine insurance markets in some states and result in 23 million more people without insurance.
If the parliamentarian finds a significant problem, House Republicans would have to decide how to fix the cost-sharing provision. A GOP leadership aide described the change as a simple technical correction that isnt worrisome for backers of an Obamacare replacement. It could be passed by voice vote, some Republicans contend.
Democrats say not so fast -- they will insist on an actual floor vote.
