The last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare in the US may be 'stillborn' again

US President Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare is likely to be 'stillborn' due to lack of support from within the Republican Party.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Susan Collins said on Thursday she would oppose her party’s last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, despite intense lobbying from Republicans and her promise to pour money into Maine.

US Republican Senator Susan Collins. (Photo: Reuters)

The most moderate Republican senators have joined the ranks of Senators John McCain and Rand Paul in opposing the bill to end Obamacare, a blow to President Donald Trump, who has made reversing his predecessor Barack Obama’s signature law a top priority since his 2016 campaign.

Mr. Trump even tried to persuade Ms. Susan Collins to change her mind in a phone call on September 25.

“The president called me today (September 25), the vice president called me over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price called me… it would be shorter to list the people who have not called me about this bill,” Ms. Collins said.

The top reason for Senator Susan Collins' decision is because the bill to repeal Obamacare would cut Medicaid, a program for low-income citizens and children with disabilities, while her state of Maine has up to 20% of the population dependent on that program.

“Taking away a program that has been law for more than 50 years and making such fundamental structural changes without in-depth hearings to assess its impact on our most vulnerable citizens is unacceptable,” Collins said.

Ms Collins also opposes the bill because it eliminates protections for people with pre-existing health problems such as asthma, cancer or diabetes.

The decision came even as the bill's sponsors, Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, proposed a 43 percent increase in federal health care funding for Maine as well as benefits for states with wavering senators.

Repealing Obamacare has been a goal of the US Republican Party since the law was passed in 2010. They believe that although it expands health insurance to about 20 million more Americans, it is an unjustified and costly government intervention in the health system, and they oppose the taxes that this law imposes on the wealthy.

Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the Senate of 52 of the 100 seats and are facing a September 30 deadline to pass a bill to repeal Obamacare with just a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold required for most other measures.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had wanted to hold a vote this week, but it remains unclear how he will manage with three Republican senators announcing they will vote against the bill, meaning only 49 support the bill, not enough to get a simple majority to pass the plan.

Senator Lindsey Graham rejected the notion that this was a last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare, pledging to continue to improve and push the bill.

Meanwhile, Democrats said that as long as the repeal of Obamacare is off the table, they will cooperate with Republicans “to find a compromise that can stabilize the market and reduce insurance premiums.” Both Ms. Collins and Mr. McCain of the Republican Party support a bipartisan solution to amend parts of the Obamacare law that are currently not really effective./.

According to VOV