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Boozman & Cotton Join Failed 'Skinny' Repeal Effort In U.S. Senate

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton (left to right).

Both of Arkansas’s U.S. Senators - Tom Cotton and John Boozman – joined a failed effort in the early morning hours, around 1:30 a.m. Washington D.C. time, to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act. While three Republicans (Linda Murkowski-AL, Susan Collins-ME, John McCain-AZ) voted with Democrats to defeat the proposal, Cotton and Boozman joined with the majority of their party. The vote was 51-49.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the so-called "skinny repeal" would have led to 15 million people losing insurance by 2018. It would have repealed provisions of the Affordable Care Act like the individual mandate and the employer mandate, among other changes.

Notably it would not have reshaped the nation’s Medicaid program. One component of that, Medicaid expansion, has been held up by both Democrats and many Republicans, including Governor Asa Hutchinson, as something to safeguard. Other Republican plans also planned to reduce the federal matching rate with states for the general Medicaid program.

The New York Times graphics department handily breaks down how each Senator voted on repeal and replace, partial repeal, and skinny repeal. Senator Boozman voted for all three options. Senator Cotton voted against repeal and replace, for partial repeal, and for skinny repeal.

Jacob Kauffman is a former news anchor and reporter for KUAR.
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