Republicans are insisting that the fight over Obamacare repeal is not over yet — and at least some Democrats are welcoming the continued fight, believing it will boost their efforts in the 2018 midterm elections.
"I think they are falling into an enormous trap of their own making. And have at it,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) told Politico. “I think they’re going to pay a very heavy price for this.”
Even as they move on to tax reform for now, “Republicans are promising that repeal will still happen before the current session of Congress ends in January 2019,” The Wall Street Journal’s Kristina Peterson and Stephanie Armour write. President Trump said Wednesday that, while he would negotiate with Democrats on health care, he also expects Congress to vote again on a health care bill in the first months of 2018.
Trump also said he’d sign an executive order next week to allow insurers to sell policies across state lines — something they’re already able to do, though few states and insurance companies have pursued the option. “The idea is broadly opposed by state insurance commissioners, consumer advocates and insurers, and has failed in states where it's been tried,” Politico notes. (Trump also said he has the votes on Obamacare repeal, even though he does not.)
In the meantime, health insurers faced a Wednesday deadline to sign up for the Obamacare exchanges next year and it appears all U.S. counties will be covered — though the number of insurers in many counties will drop, and some enrollees will face steep premium increases.