As Senate Republicans struggle over an Obamacare replacement bill, the GOP is divided about what to do if it fails to pass, The Hill reported on Monday.
The party is split among those who want to pass a straight repeal of Obamacare and work on a replacement later and those who prefer to work with Democrats on fixing the healthcare law.
Several conservative senators, as well as President Donald Trump, have endorsed the idea of repealing first and working on a replacement later.
The problem is that a straight repeal bill would almost certainly fail to pass, because many other Republicans want to have in place an alternative method for people to get coverage at the same time.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is one of the Republicans against the idea of repealing first and replacing later.
Over the congressional recess, McConnell told WBKO in Kentucky that "The private health insurance market is imploding. Premiums are going up, co-payments are going up, deductibles are going up, so we have to solve the current crisis, and I think repealing and delaying the replacement doesn't work."
Instead, McConnell said the GOP could work with Democrats to stabilize Obamacare markets if the repeal bill fails.
Some suggest McConnell's comments were merely a warning to conservatives who are opposed to the repeal bill, suggesting that if they don't compromise, they will like the result even less if Democrats are involved in the negotiations.
But several other GOP senators have expressed an eagerness to work with those across the aisle as the best way for a long-term solution to fix the healthcare system.
And some Democrats have argued, the Hill reports, that a bipartisan solution is possible because the current Republican proposal contains some measures that would help stabilize the markets, such as funding for a stability fund and money for crucial Obamacare payments to insurers known as cost-sharing reductions.
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