Should-Read: David Anderson: A BFD that Passed amongst the Chaos: "Repeal and Replace or Repeal and Delay and Pray is dead...
...There is no coherent coalition of 218 and 51.... The 2016 ACA Repeal bill defunded Planned Parenthood and knocked out Medicaid Expansion.... Combined, those two provisions probably cost the Republicans six to ten votes [in the Senate].... In the House, Speaker Ryan would like to pass anything with only Republican votes in order to not be hung out to dry like former Speaker Boehner (remember he has tough votes on the debt ceiling coming up). That means he needs 90% of his caucus on board with anything. The Republican House Freedom Caucus has enough members to deny Ryan a Republican only majority. The HFC is demanding a word for word replica of the 2016 bill.... Long, boring committee meetings, calls to the CBO, wonks ripping apart a plan to help advocates find very sympathetic people to tell true stories with high emotional punch is where we’re going for anything more complicated than a technical correction bill or rebranding.
