Providers aren’t likely to see the Senate formulate a healthcare plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act this year, according to one Republican lawmaker.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) said in an interview on Thursday that it’s “unlikely that we will get a healthcare deal” before 2017 is up.
“I don’t see a comprehensive healthcare plan this year,” Burr told local media. “We do the legislating and at the end of the day this is too important to get wrong.”
He also reiterated previous criticisms of the House-passed healthcare bill, noting that it was “dead on arrival” to the Senate and “not a good plan.”
Burr’s statements contradict predictions from Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., that a vote on the Senate’s plan could come before Congress recesses in August. A group of Senators is currently working on the plan, which is believed to eventually include less drastic Medicaid provisions than the health version.
