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Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced an amendment that would derail the Republican fast-track repeal by forbidding Republicans from considering any legislation that increases insurance premiums and out of pocket costs.

Sen. Kaine said, “There is no reason, while we acknowledge the need for improvement, to repeal the Affordable Care Act outright without having a sense of what the replacement would be. By doing so, we create chaos in the economy, chaos in the health insurance market, and chaos in the most intimate and most important area of people’s lives: their health.”

The amendment would require 60 votes for any legislation that would reduce coverage and quality while increasing costs.



UPDATE: As expected, the Amendment failed to pass 48-52.

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Sen. Murphy said, “If Republicans have their way, 30 million Americans will lose their health insurance. We’ll go back to the day when people were denied coverage and went bankrupt simply because they got sick, and when women paid more to receive the same benefits as men. I refuse to allow that to happen, and this amendment will help us stop it.”

Senate Republicans don’t have 60 votes to pass a repeal, but Democrats have very little chance of getting the support needed to pass this amendment. However, this was the first shot across the bow. What is clear is that Republicans are going to need lots of Democratic help to pass the Obamacare replacement.

If Republicans don’t propose a suitable replacement plan, Democrats will refuse to help them take healthcare away from 30 million people.

Should Republicans refuse to replace the ACA, they will own the decline of the US healthcare system.

The amendment that was introduced was the first move in a long-term chess match. Democrats are reminding Republicans that without their help, the GOP is set to fail on an epic scale.

Senate Democrats aren’t giving up the ACA without a fight.