House Speaker Paul Ryan showed how conflicted Republicans are on Obamacare Thursday by trying to acknowledge all of their cross pressures in one press conference. Here's what he said about the timing of repeal and replacement:
They have to be done "all at the same time so that everybody sees what we're trying to do."
It's going to go through all of the House committees that handle health care.
But it has to be done quickly, because "this law is collapsing while we speak." (More on that below.)
But "we're not holding hard deadlines, only because we want to get it right."
Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate health committee, has a new plan for how to repeal and replace Obamacare. It might be something the growing coalition of Republicans nervous about repealing now and replacing later can support.
This is how it would work:
First would be the "rescue" phase (detailed below)
Next, the GOP would come up with a replacement once markets stabilize
Then they'd repeal what's left of Obamacare
Will it work?: From a policy perspective, Alexander's plan, which uses both legislation and executive action, makes a lot of sense. Politically, many of its components will be way too much for conservatives to stomach. Watch to see how many moderates get on board. It won't take many to tank the leadership's plan.
