Dive Brief:
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) did not completely rule out cooperating with Republicans on health reform during a recent conference call with reporters, but said that “the ball is in their court,” reported The Hill.
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Pelosi had previously predicted earlier last month that Republicans would not repeal the Affordable Care Act due to the potential fallout, according to The Huffington Post.
- Efforts to repeal the ACA and delay a replacement are an “an act of cowardice,” Pelosi was quoted in The Washington Times. “You break it, you own it,” Pelosi added.
Dive Insight:
Republicans will officially have control of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in a matter of weeks. They seem ready to put the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block. In fact, the new Congress will meet today and it has been reported that GOP plans to prep a repeal-and-delay measure to hit the president-elect's desk as soon Donald Trump is inaugurated.
The ACA has helped to provide health coverage to more than 20 million people.
With Republicans preparing to repeal the ACA without a replacement plan in place, there is potential for millions to lose health coverage and/or the individual insurance market to implode. If millions lose their health coverage, it will likely have an effect at the polls in upcoming elections. This has led to posturing among members of both parties to shield themselves from the political consequences.
Some Democrats have indicated that they would work with Republicans to pass a replacement health plan if the ACA is repealed. However, House Minority Leader Pelosi is not the only Democratic force working against ACA repeal-and-delay. Incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “We’re not going to do a replacement,” according to Politico.