Obamacare Repeal Defeated: Savor the Moment

We always believed in our hearts that it would not be possible for Congress to pass repeal—that we could stop these harmful efforts because too many people rely on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid for it to be so easy to rip coverage away through a sweeping piece of legislation.

However, these last nine months since the election have been a tremendous amount of work for us all, and there were moments when it was hard to believe that we could stop the force of Senate and House majorities and a president who made it their top priority to pass a repeal bill. But together WE DID.

A dramatic night in the fight to protect the progress we’ve made under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid

Last night, Senator McConnell planned to move forward his “skinny bill” with the simple majority of senators he needed. After voting on an amendment from Senator Murray to move the repeal bill to the HELP committee was long over, everything stalled on the floor. It became obvious that the majority party did not have the votes to pass the bill.

Collins and Murkowski—and in an incredible turn of events—Senator McCain, took the three NO votes that ultimately sunk the bill. See how every senator voted.

You all made this happen. Together as a community we who stand up for consumers and patients were strong, fast, effective, and most importantly, 100 percent determined to save health care.

Repeal is over, but many battles remain

However, as our Executive Director Frederick Isasi said in our statement, we have much more work ahead. We know the Trump Administration and members of Congress are still dedicated to undermining the Affordable Care Act and dismantling Medicaid, including through legislative strategies, administrative sabotage, the budget process, and threats that we will likely face when the Republican agenda turns to tax reform. We must remain vigilant and never stop advocating for better health care for all people in America.

But last night/early this morning, we achieved a great win. Thank you all so much for the incredible work you did. And be sure to thank the senators who supported health care and hold those who did not accountable for their votes.

Read More: A Victory for Our Nation’s Families as the Senate Fails to Pass “Skinny Repeal” Bill