This blog was last updated on June 26, 2021

Senate negotiations regarding the fate of the American Health Care Act are continuing in spite of the discord among and between Democrats and Republicans on a number of provisions in the bill. Much of the roadblocks at this point are procedural in nature regarding the Reconciliation rules. A failure to comply with Reconciliation requirements would cause even further delays as the House is compelled to reconsider the measure.

Despite the current obstacles, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked Rule 14 to add the healthcare bill to the Senate calendar – allowing a vote to be held whenever the bill is finalized. This rule enables the Senate to bypass the committee process, which will be essential to meet their objective of holding a vote before the August recess. While the Senate has yet to release a draft or outline of the provisions under consideration, further details are expected to be revealed later this month.