• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Health

The GOP Can Now Pass a Health Care Bill That’s Basically Just a Blank Piece of Paper

By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 25, 2017, 4:57 PM ET
Senate Lawmakers Address The Media After Their Weekly Policy Luncheons
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 12: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a news briefing after the Republican weekly policy luncheon July 12, 2016 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Senate GOPs held a weekly policy luncheon to discuss the Republican agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Alex Wong — Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

After a successful preliminary health care vote on Tuesday, Senate GOP leaders may have a new plan to get their health legislation over the finish line: pass what, in effect, could amount to a blank legislative check.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell began a successful “motion to proceed” vote on the chamber’s Obamacare repeal bill around 2:30 pm Tuesday. This was a procedural vote, not one on any particular piece of legislation. In fact, having secured those 50 votes on the motion to proceed (plus a necessary tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence) the Senate must now move on to followup debate on multiple health care bills being tossed around by GOP leadership in the coming days. “Let the voting take us where it will,” as McConnell put it while presiding over the vote.

Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who has consistently opposed the GOP efforts, were the only Republican Senators to oppose the motion in addition to all Democrats.

Click here to subscribe to Brainstorm Health Daily, our brand new newsletter about health innovations.

But now that the procedural hurdle has been passed, the broader health bills that will (reportedly) be considered in the coming days, in the form of “amendments” that would supplant the basic legislative vehicle the Senate used to begin official debate Tuesday, face an uncertain future. These include multiple versions of the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act and a “repeal-and-delay” strategy, each of which is potentially doomed thanks to previously stated opposition from a mix of conservatives and moderates. However, there are reports that the GOP’s newest plan is a so-called “skinny repeal”—legislation that would undo: Obamacare’s individual mandate requiring people to carry health insurance or pay a penalty; a mandate on employers to cover full time workers; and a tax on medical device companies.

Those are some of the most unpopular parts of Obamacare. (Though it’s important to note the Congressional Budget Office and other nonpartisan scorekeepers have projected that repealing the individual mandate—which is meant to prevent people from only buying guaranteed insurance coverage when they’re sick—would lead to massive premium increases.) But there’s almost zero chance that’s the legislation that could ultimately reach President Trump’s desk.

For one, it doesn’t do much to actually dismantle Obamacare—it simply addresses some of its enforcement and funding mechanisms. That’s a far cry from the far-reaching American Health Care Act passed by the more conservative House of Representatives earlier this year, which would gut numerous Obamacare protections and massively scale back the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled, as well as from the BCRA.

So what’s the goal here? Essentially, passing a “skinny repeal” could launch a “conference committee” with the House that would, ostensibly, produce a final, final health care deal between the two legislative chambers that would, in all political likelihood, look little like a skinny repeal (if that even passes). In fact, Arizona Sen. John McCain himself—who made a dramatic return to the Senate on Tuesday following a recent brain cancer diagnosis—slammed the “shell” health care bill (it’s unclear exactly which possible version he was referring to), in a speech to the Senate just minutes after he voted “aye” on the motion to proceed. He called on a bipartisan bill to shore up health insurance markets.

For now, it’s still unclear what kind of health care legislation the Senate will vote on, what may ultimately pass, and what the future holds for negotiations with the House if something does pass.

About the Author
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Health

A Hims cofounder fired his entire marketing team for AI. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
SuccessMarketing
A Hims cofounder fired his entire marketing team for AI. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
By Sydney LakeJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
Roderick Wong, MD is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of RTW Investments
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
When 10,000 doctors stood up and cheered for a cancer drug — America’s innovation machine made it possible
By Roderick WongJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
What it’s like to be a founder of the most high-stakes startup ever, OpenAI
AIOpenAI
What it’s like to be a founder of the most high-stakes startup ever, OpenAI
By Alyson ShontellJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
Photo of RFK Jr.
HealthFDA
RFK Jr.’s peptide push narrowly gains backing from FDA advisers despite objections from scientists
By The Associated Press and Matthew PerroneJuly 24, 2026
2 days ago
PartiQular as best resveratrol supplement
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Resveratrol Supplements (2026): Expert Reviewed
By Christina SnyderJuly 24, 2026
2 days ago
Sunlight Sauna Review
HealthDietary Supplements
Sunlighten Sauna Review (2026): Features, Cost, and Our Take
By Emily PharesJuly 24, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
17 hours ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
Middle East
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
By Jason MaJuly 25, 2026
1 day ago
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
Economy
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
By Eleanor PringleJuly 24, 2026
3 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.