Politics: LIVE: Senate votes on repealing Obamacare without a replacement

The Senate already voted down one proposal. Debate on other plans will pick up Wednesday.

Senate Republicans continue their debate on their efforts to reshape the US healthcare system, with the focus shifting to a straight repeal of the Affordable Care Act.The discussion has so far yielded one defeat after a vote on the latest version of a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare failed. The amended version of what's called the Better Care Reconciliation Act failed 57-43, as nine Republican senators joined all Democrats in opposing it. It needed 60 votes to advance.

The debate began earlier Tuesday, and the Senate has 20 hours of legislative time to debate, time that's split equally between Democrats and Republicans, and some of which was used on Tuesday.

Among the other options likely to be floated Wednesday are the Senate's plan to strictly repeal Obamacare. There's also the chance of a "skinny repeal" bill, which would repeal certain aspects of the ACA and, if passed, lead to the House and Senate working together to compromise on one final bill.

We'll be updating this post as the debate continues.

3:30 p.m. - Senate holds three votes on amendments to the House healthcare bill.

The first two have to do with the "Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act," a plan to straight repeal the Affordable Care Act. The amendment was introduced by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has been a proponent of a straight Obamacare repeal. The first vote of the two will require 60 votes to pass.

The third will be on a motion raised by Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana. The motion would send the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee to take out the provisions that cut Medicaid, end the Medicaid expansion, or shift costs toward states.

1:10 p.m. - Senator Joe Donnelly introduces his motion to strip the bill of its Medicaid provisions.

The second vote that's happening this afternoon will be on Donnelly's motion. The motion would send the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee to take out the provisions that cut Medicaid, end the Medicaid expansion, or shift costs toward states.

The Better Care Reconciliation Act bill would cut $756 billion from Medicaid through 2026 and phases out the Medicaid expansion, while the repeal-only bill would cut $842 billion from Medicaid by 2026.

12:15 p.m. - Senate pushes back vote on repeal-only bill.

The bill will now be voted on at 3:30 p.m.

11 a.m. - Debate ahead of vote on Obamacare repeal bill focuses on "skinny repeal."

During the morning debate session, Democrats were the main voices on the floor. The senators, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senator Christopher Murphy of Connecticut used their time to attack a last-ditch effort to get a bill passed. The so-called "skinny repeal" bill, which would repeal certain aspects of the ACA — specifically the individual and employer mandates — and, if passed, lead to the House and Senate working together to compromise on one final bill.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., the Senate will start to vote on a repeal-only bill. The vote will be procedural, like the one that took place last night on a version of the repeal and replace plan. If it doesn't pass, it won't be the end of the road for the bill, but it should give a sense of what would happen to it if it came up for the full vote.

9:30 a.m. - Debate continues.

After a recess after last night's vote on "Trumpcare 3.0," a revised version of the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act, debate has resume in the Senate. Up first today should be the repeal-only bill.

The bill, titled the "Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act" is nearly identical to the bill that was vetoed by President Barack Obama in 2015. The bill would repeal all the provisions put in place by the ACA, including key taxes, the Medicaid expansion some states opted into and getting rid of mandates for employers and individuals to provide and have insurance. That wouldn't go into effect for two years, giving Congress time to come up with a replacement before the repeal starts.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, 17 million fewer Americans would have health insurance in 2018, a number that would grow to 32 million by 2026. By 2026, health insurance premiums are expected to double. Cuts to Medicaid would hit $842 billion by 2026.

That vote is scheduled for later this morning.

The Senate already voted down one proposal. Debate on other plans will pick up Wednesday. Read Full Story