Economy

The Senate rejected Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s healthcare proposal late Tuesday at the start of several days of debate with no clear idea of what ACA-replacement plan the senators will ultimately be asked to pass.

Senate Republicans agreed to begin floor debate on healthcare legislation, a hard-fought step amid uncertainty about exactly what plan senators will ultimately be asked to vote on.

Several key Republican holdouts on healthcare legislation said they will vote to begin debate Tuesday afternoon, even though senators don’t know exactly where the legislation will end up.

Senate Republican leaders must decide which healthcare proposal they’ll ask members to vote on this week, in what has become a series of all-out efforts to get their own members on board.

Next week could be a key test over whether Republicans have any chance at delivering on their seven years of promises of repealing and replacing the ACA.

A Republican fallback plan to repeal all of the ACA without a replacement health program would lead to 32 million more people uninsured than under current law.

Even with the Republicans’ failed effort, there may be additional opportunities for relief from ACA requirements in the coming months.

Senate Republicans anxiously awaiting a key analysis of their revised health bill have more time to wait, and debate on the controversial measure that had been expected this week.

Senate Republicans’ revised proposal to replace Obamacare would provide an added $70 billion to stabilize insurance exchanges over a decade compared with an earlier version.

Companies would welcome the elimination of 'costly and time consuming' provisions including the employer mandate, the Cadillac tax and reporting requirements.