Here Are the GOP Senators Who Saved Obamacare (For Now)

Yup, they're all women.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

Read Full Bio

Neal Broverman

July 18 2017 1:00 PM EST

July 18 2017 1:05 PM EST

Nbroverman

Sorry to interrupt...
But we wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Your support makes original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Help us hold Trump accountable.

One-time Monthly

$19.67 $50 Other

$5 $19.67 $50

Republican senators failed once again to obtain the necessary votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act -- a.k.a. Obamacare -- with legislation that would have bumped millions off insurance. After that fail, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to do something even more cruel -- simply repeal Obamacare and figure out some sort of replacement after.

Thankfully, that plan is DOA, thanks to three Republican senators -- all of them women.

\u201cMy latest statement on the Senate health care bill & planned vote to repeal Obamacare:\u201d
— Shelley Moore Capito (@Shelley Moore Capito) 1500388516

\u201cI will vote no on the motion to proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. I voted against this same proposal in 2015.\u201d
— Sen. Susan Collins (@Sen. Susan Collins) 1500394016

\u201cMy recent statement on the Senate Healthcare Process:\u201d
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@Sen. Lisa Murkowski) 1500398062

These senators could now face repercussions for standing up to President Trump -- desperate for a legislative win -- and McConnell. If the GOP establishment fails to support their reelection, they'll have to explain to voters why they no longer have the backing of their party.

Capito may emphasize the fact that West Virginia benefits greatly from Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid. And like West Virginia, Alaska -- home of Murkowski -- needs the expanded medical coverage that Obamacare provides to fight the opioid epidemic. Maine, Collins's state, is also battling that issue, and tilts more left than either Alaska or West Virginia, something that could help Collins keep her job when she runs for reelection in 2020. Capito also runs for reelection in 2020, though Murkowski doesn't face an election until 2022.