John McCain sinks ‘skinny repeal’ of Obamacare health act

Arizona senator, whose war record Trump mocked, deals major blow to president’s agenda in dramatic late-night vote

Arizona senator John McCain torpedoed the Obamacare repeal bill – and with it Donald Trump’s legislative agenda – in a night of high drama on Capitol Hill.

McCain’s vote against the bill in the early hours of Friday morning delivered a major setback for Republicans who have spent seven years vowing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

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Bernie Sanders: Trump is right, Australia’s healthcare system is better than ours – video

Donald Trump told the Australian prime minister in May, ‘You have better healthcare than we do’. As the US Senate votes on repealing the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, Bernie Sanders has taken to the Senate floor to agree with Trump: ‘He’s not right very often, but on this issue he is.’ Australia has a universal healthcare system that costs less than half what the US spends per capita on healthcare and delivers much better outcomes

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Republicans back ‘skinny repeal’ after guarantee it will not become law

Sceptical senators Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson agree to vote for repeal on condition that it will trigger a congressional conference committee

Senate Republican leaders have unveiled their so-called “skinny repeal” bill – denounced by conservatives as a “fraud” and a “disaster” – in an eleventh-hour push to pass a pared-down repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Related: Republican quartet will only vote for skinny repeal if assured it won't become law – live

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US Senate rejects bill to repeal Obamacare in huge blow for Trump – live

  • Lindsey Graham calls skinny repeal a ‘terrible policy, a horrible policy’
  • Republican healthcare debate: what is a ‘skinny repeal’ of Obamacare?
  • Trump’s healthcare battle reminds Scaramucci of Lincoln fighting slavery

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Here’s footage of the notebook falling on Tim Scott on the Senate floor

On the Senate floor, @SenatorTimScott ge...

US healthcare debate: what is a ‘skinny repeal’ of Obamacare?

The latest Republican plan, whose details remain unclear, would eliminate the ACA’s individual mandate, employee mandate and ‘Cadillac tax’

It might sound like another trendy low-calorie caffeine drink promising all of the boost with none of the regrets.

But the skinny repeal is the fad sweeping the Senate Republican caucus as senators desperately try to find a way to advance their efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Senate rejects bill to repeal large parts of Obamacare without replacement

  • Seven Republicans join with Democrats to oppose proposal
  • Failure suggests GOP’s promise to repeal ACA wholesale will be hugely difficult

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have repealed major pieces of Barack Obama’s health reforms without a replacement, something Republicans have promised to do for seven years.

Seven Republican senators joined with Democrats to reject the bill, in a sign that the party’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care ...

John McCain had the chance to do the right thing on healthcare. He failed | Lucia Graves

There are many reasons to respect the Arizona senator, but his remarkable stoicism and service can’t excuse his yes vote in the Senate

John McCain often gets cast as a truth-teller to Donald Trump, but his voting record says otherwise. And nowhere was that more clear than on Tuesday when, despite his own ill health, when it came to the decision of whether to take other people’s healthcare away, he cast a decisive vote in the wrong direction.

Related: Senate Republicans vote to...

Repeal gets real … or does it? | The minute

  • Senate votes to start debate on Obamacare repeal ... Trump offends families with Boy Scouts speech ... tensions build with Sessions
  • Get the day’s politics news in 60 seconds every weekday. By Jamiles Lartey

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Senator John McCain, who was diagnosed last week with brain cancer, returned to the Senate floor to vote for debate on repeal of Obamacare to move forward. He was one of 50 Republican Senators who voted to ad...

McCain calls for cooperation over healthcare: ‘We’re getting nothing done’ – video

Senator John McCain speaks in the Senate on Tuesday following his return to vote on the healthcare bill. McCain, recently diagnosed with cancer, told both parties that cooperation would be necessary in the future. He also said he would not support the healthcare bill in its current form

  • Senate Republicans vote to open debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare
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Republican effort to repeal Obamacare ‘a ruse’, says Chuck Schumer – video

The Senate minority leader, speaking before Tuesday’s vote on whether to proceed to debate on legislation to repeal the ACA, said the GOP bill will hurt millions of Americans. He also appealed to Republicans to work with the Democrats to build a better bill

  • How does the US healthcare system compare with other countries?
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