Senate GOP’s ObamaCare backup still ‘a work in progress’

Senate GOP leaders are not taking any ideas off the table in their plan for the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on ObamaCare marketplace subsidies, members said after a meeting Wednesday.

Republican senators spent nearly an hour Wednesday discussing how to avert a healthcare meltdown if the court decides to strike down the subsidies for 6.4 million people in a decision that could come as soon as Thursday.

The briefing, which was led by two GOP chairmen, Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), highlighted all six proposals that have been put forward by Senate Republicans. It did not bring the members any closer to consensus, multiple members said.

“We talked a temporary assistance that gets beyond the 2016 election,” Barrasso told reporters.

{mosads}“I think there’s kind of an amalgamation of plans and ideas of different members that we’ve had out there that we’re trying to put together, but at this point it’s still a work in progress,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

“Everything’s under discussion,” he added. “We’re still sorting it all out.”

Barrasso said he presented a “broad outline of what we’ve been working on with the House,” adding that House GOP leaders would later discuss “a similar approach” with their members.

Congressional Republicans have devoted more than four months to debating the idea of financial assistance for the millions of people who would be impacted by a ruling. Several remain concerned about how to offer those subsidies without appearing to support the healthcare law.  

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said after the meeting that he remains opposed to any extension of the healthcare subsidies, a position that has previously been echoed by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.).

When asked if the party had reached any kind of consensus on a plan, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said “no.”

“We were just talking through the options and we don’t know what the Supreme Court’s going to do, but we want to be ready,” Cornyn said.

Asked the same question separately, Sen. Lindsey Graham laughed and also said “no.”

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Col.) offered a more optimistic view, calling the meeting a “health discussion” that’s inching the party toward an agreement. 

“I don’t know that there’s a consensus at this point, but everybody knows we’re moving in that direction,” he said.

Barrasso, who has been leading the planning, reiterated that he wants to protect dozens of states that could lose healthcare subsidies because they are not running their own exchange.

He stressed that the Senate needed to reach a consensus eventually in order to “put something on the president’s desk.”

House GOP leaders are presenting a plan to members Wednesday that would give block grants to states if the Supreme Court cripples Obamacare, according to Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), the Health Subcommittee chairman.

The plan would also repeal ObamaCare’s mandates. The idea is to give choice to states and consumers. 

Pitts said that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and others in House GOP leadership presented the plan, but they are still getting feedback on it.

— Updated at 3:48 p.m.