We hear that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is warning Republicans that there'll be a political and policy price to pay if healthcare goes down — that failure would have painful implications:
Senators are being told it's not possible to just let Obamacare fail — that if the Better Care bill fails, Rs will have to work with Ds (horrors!) later this year to help shore up the exchanges.
That would require Republicans making big concessions on important priorities.
An aide adds: "He's said publicly that it's a disaster if Better Care doesn't pass. Obamacare exchanges are getting worse, not better; insurers are leaving the exchanges, not growing their presences; premiums are going up, not down."
