we interrupt Pee jokes - Important article - update on GOP efforts to toss ACA - from TPM

Key GOP Chair Unveils Most Detailed Plan Yet To Repeal And Replace O'Care

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/key-gop-chair-unveils-most-detailed-plan-yet-to-repeal-and-replace-o-care

By LAUREN FOX Published JANUARY 10, 2017, 7:09 PM EDT
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A Senate committee chairman with Obamacare jurisdiction offered the most detailed plan we've seen since the election to repeal and replace the ACA, on the floor of the Senate Tuesday afternoon.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who has long advocated for a "simultaneous" approach to scrapping and replacing the Affordable Care Act, said that Republicans should be focused on repairing Obamacare's exchanges while building a new system to deliver health care to the American people.

It's still unclear whether Alexander's plan has the blessing of leadership, nor is it clear whether the GOP will follow through with it ultimately, but Alexander's speech gives real insight into how a powerful and respected Republican chairman is trying to get his party to think about repealing and replacing Obamacare and what he thinks Republicans should be doing to build their own system.

Here's what you should know.

No Repealing Obamacare Till A New System Is Built

Alexander only wants to see Obamacare repealed once "there are concrete, practicable reforms in place." "It's not about developing a quick fix. It's about working toward a long-term recovery that works for everyone," Alexander said.
Save Obamacare In A Rescue Mission

Alexander said that he wants to first "rescue" the current Obamacare exchanges because people are still on them. "First we'll offer a rescue planning so that the 11 million Americans who buy insurance how on the exchanges can continue to do so while we build a better set of concrete, practical alternatives." To do that, Alexander wants "Congress and the president to take action before March 1, which is when insurance companies begin to decide whether they will offer insurance on these markets during 2018. In general, the goal is to get as close as possible to allowing any state-approved plan to count as health insurance under Obamacare rules while we are transitioning to a new system."

snip - worth reading it all