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Fact check: How many GOP senators voted to repeal Obamacare?

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September 14, 2017
By Sara Reynolds

The United States Senate voted three times in July to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act](ACA). All of the measures failed. Commenting on the apparent change of position among Republicans who voted against repeal on July 26, Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) claimed, “With just one exception, every member of the Republican majority already either voted for repeal or explicitly campaigned on repeal.”[1]

Is Sasse correct? Did every current Republican senator, except one, previously vote for or campaign on repeal of the Affordable Care Act?

Yes. With the exception of Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), all 49 current Republican senators who were in office in 2015 voted that year to repeal elements of the ACA (with no replacement).[2] Seven Republican senators who were in office in 2015, including Collins, voted against a similar bill on July 26, 2017.[3]

Senators John Neely Kennedy (La.) and Todd Young (Ind.), both elected in 2016, campaigned to repeal the ACA.[4][5] Sen. Luther Strange (Ala.), appointed in 2017 and currently running in a special election, has also campaigned on repeal.[6] All three senators voted to repeal the ACA on July 26.[3]

Background

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or the ACA, became law on March 23, 2010. Obamacare authorized state-based health insurance exchanges for consumers to purchase insurance coverage; mandated the purchase of coverage by individuals and employers; mandated coverage of essential benefits; authorized expansion of Medicaid; and provided tax credits and subsidies for the purchase of health insurance.[7][8] Various other provisions regulated cost-sharing among hospitals.

Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, was first elected in 2014. Between 2007 and 2009, he served as an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services under the George W. Bush administration.

There are currently 52 Republicans in the U.S. Senate.[9] Of those 52, 49 were also in office in 2015.[10]

Votes

A bill to repeal several provisions of the ACA, including the individual and employer mandates, certain tax credits and subsidies, and Medicaid expansion eligibility, among others, passed the Senate in December 2015 but was later vetoed by President Barack Obama.[11]

Forty-eight (48) of the 49 Republican senators currently in office voted in 2015 for repeal of several ACA provisions. (The exception is Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.)[2] Seven Republican senators who were in office in 2015, including Collins, voted against a similar bill on July 26, 2017.[3]

The Senate voted three times in July on ACA repeal and replace bills.

On July 25, they rejected a procedural vote 43-57. Had that motion succeeded, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 would to been able to pass with a majority of votes, rather than three-fifths. Nine Republicans voted against the motion.[12][13]

On July 26, the Senate rejected an amendment to the American Health Care Act of 2017 to repeal parts of the ACA without replacement by a vote of 45-55.[14]

On July 28, the Senate rejected an amendment to the American Health Care Act of 2017 proposed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 49-51. The amendment would have repealed parts of the ACA, including the individual and employer mandates.[15]


Republican senators change votes on ACA repeal
Senator December 3, 2015 July 25, 2017 July 26, 2017 July 28, 2017
Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) For For Against For
Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) For For Against For
Susan Collins (Maine) Against Against Against Against
Bob Corker (Tenn.) For Against For For
Tom Cotton (Ark.) For Against For For
Lindsey Graham (S.C.) For Against For For
Dean Heller (Nev.) For Against Against For
Mike Lee (Utah) For Against For For
John McCain (Ariz.) For For Against Against
Jerry Moran (Kans.) For Against For For
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) For Against Against Against
Rand Paul (Ky.) For Against For For
Rob Portman (Ohio) For For Against For

Note: For indicates a vote to repeal the ACA. Against indicates a vote against repealing the ACA.

New senators

Senators John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) were elected for the first time in 2016. Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) was appointed in 2017. All three endorsed repeal or reform in the past and subsequently voted in favor of all three July 2017 repeal or reform efforts.[16][17][18]

Conclusion

Commenting on the apparent change of position among all but one Senate Republicans on repeal of the ACA, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said, “With just one exception, every member of the Republican majority already either voted for repeal or explicitly campaigned on repeal.”[1]

Sasse is correct. All 49 of the current Republican senators that were in office in 2015, except Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), voted that year to repeal parts of the ACA. Seven of the 49 Republicans, including Collins, voted against a similar measure in 2017.[2]

Senators Kennedy and Young, elected in 2016, campaigned on ACA repeal.[4][5] Sen. Strange, appointed in 2017 and currently running in a special election for the Senate seat from Alabama, has campaigned on ACA repeal.[6]

See also

Sources and Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Guardian, "Senate rejects bill to repeal large parts of Obamacare without replacement," July 26, 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Senate, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 3762 As Amended)," December 3, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Senate, "On the Amendment (Paul Amdt. No. 271)," July 26, 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 C-Span, "Louisiana Senate Debate," October 18, 2016 8:50
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Todd Young 2016 campaign website, "Healthcare," accessed August 7, 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Luther Strange 2017 campaign website, "Repeal and replace Obamacare," accessed August 9, 2017
  7. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Legislative Actions in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act," February 7, 2017
  8. ↑ Kaiser Family Foundation, "Summary of the Affordable Care Act," April 25, 2013
  9. ↑ United States Senate, "Senators of the 115th Congress," accessed August 7, 2017
  10. ↑ C-SPAN, "Members of the 114th Congress," accessed September 13, 2017
  11. ↑ Congress.gov, "All Actions H.R.3762 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)," accessed August 10, 2017
  12. ↑ The Better Care Reconciliation Act is the Senate version of the American Health Care Act which passed the House on May 4, 2017, with 217 Republican "aye" votes and 213 "no" votes—193 from Democrats and 20 from Republicans. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) did not vote. Govtrack.us, "H.R. 1628: American Health Care Act of 2017," accessed August 17, 2017
  13. ↑ GovTrack.us, "On the Motion (Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 270)," July 25, 2017
  14. ↑ GovTrack.us, "S.Amdt. 271 (Paul) to H.R. 1628: Of a perfecting nature." July 26, 2017
  15. ↑ GovTrack.us, "S.Amdt. 667 (McConnell) to H.R. 1628: Of a perfecting nature." July 28, 2017
  16. ↑ At a candidate forum on August 3, 2016, Kennedy said, "Obamacare sucks. We need to repeal it." During a debate on October 18, 2016, he said, "I think that the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, has been an abysmal failure. I’d tear it up by the roots and start over." See KEDM Public Radio, "Louisiana Senate Candidates Take On Obamacare," August 4, 2016 and C-Span, "Louisiana Senate Debate," October 18, 2016 8:50
  17. ↑ Young's campaign website said, "Todd supports a repeal of Obamacare and wants to replace it with common-sense health care reform that keeps your health care decisions between you and your doctor – not between you and the government." The page included an ad called "Hostile" which portrayed Young as "leading the fight to stop Obamacare." Todd Young 2016 campaign website, "Healthcare," accessed August 7, 2017
  18. ↑ A page titled "Repeal and Replace Obamacare" on Strange's campaign website for the Alabama special election scheduled for September 26, 2017, contains an ad in which Strange says, "A successful approach to Obamacare is to number one, repeal it[.] … Second step in the process is to replace it." Luther Strange 2017 campaign website, "Repeal and replace Obamacare," accessed August 9, 2017
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