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President Barack Obama is set to meet with Democrats in Congress regarding ways to keep the Affordable Care Act safe from Republican efforts to repeal it, a source on Capitol Hill told Politico.
Democratic legislators are working on strategies to save the Act, nicknamed Obamacare, from Republicans, who have promised to repeal it when the 115th Congress starts up in early January.
Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has said he would stand up against efforts from the Republicans to repeal and replace the health care law. A conference call among Democrats in the House of Representatives focused on the benefits of the act, Politico's report said.
Democrats Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and independent ally Sen. Bernie Sanders are hosting a "day of action" on Jan. 15 to focus on support for Obamacare and also Medicare and Medicaid.
In a "Dear Colleague" letter, the three wrote, "Beginning in January, it is likely that Republican leaders in Congress will follow through on their threats to ram through a budget bill that will severely undermine the health care needs of the American people," Politico reported.
Republicans could eliminate parts of Obamacare with a "reconciliation" vote, even though most laws require 60 votes to move forward in the Senate. The GOP is looking at a transition time period for the repeal, meaning it would be phased out while Republicans work on a replacement for it, Politico reported.
The Huffington Post reported that the Republicans' discussion about taking apart Obamacare could lead more insurers to leave the program.
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