Washington, Jul 26 (PTI) The US Senate has voted to start deliberations to repeal and replace Obamacare, a major step forward for President Donald Trump, who has been a strong critic of his predecessor's signature healthcare bill.

Washington, Jul 26 (PTI) The US Senate has voted to start
deliberations to repeal and replace Obamacare, a major step
forward for President Donald Trump, who has been a strong
critic of his predecessor's signature healthcare bill.
    The Republican-majority Senate voted by a slim 51-50 vote
margin yesterday, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the
tie, to start deliberations on The American Health Care Act.
    While the Trump administration still has a long way to go
before it can achieve one of the toughest goal that it has set
for itself in repealing and replacing Obamacare, the
president, who had made scrapping the policy a key campaign
pledge, said the Senate voting to start the debate is a "big
step".
    Obamacare was signed into law by former President Barack
Obama on March 23, 2010.
    About 20 million Americans gained healthcare coverage
under the healthcare programme, but Republicans viewed it as
an overreach of the federal government and said patients had
less choice and higher premiums.
    Republicans say the new bill will lower premiums and
deductibles and give consumers more control over their health
care. But an array of opponents, including many consumer and
patient advocacy groups, say this bill could leave millions
facing higher healthcare bills and less coverage.
    Reacting to the passage, Trump said, "I'm very happy to
announce that, with zero of the Democrats' votes, the motion
to proceed on healthcare has just passed, and now we move
forward towards truly great health care for the American
people. We look forward to that. This was a big step."
    To vote for the legislation, Republican Senator John
McCaain returned to the Capitol Hill for the first time after
being diagnosed with brain cancer to cast a decisive "yes"
vote.
    Trump thanked McCain for making a "tough trip" to
Washington DC and vote and called him a "very brave man"
    "We passed it without one Democrat vote. And that's a
shame, but that's the way it is. It is very unfortunate. But I
want to congratulate American people, because we're going to
give you great healthcare," Trump told reporters at the White
House.
    He said that Obamacare should have been terminated long
ago as it has been a "disaster" for the American people.
    "Our healthcare insurance system is a mess. We all know
it, those who support Obamacare and those who oppose it
Something has to be done," McCain said in his remarks on the
Senate floor.
    "We Republicans have looked for a way to end it and
replace it with something else without paying a terrible
political price. We haven't found it yet, and I'm not sure we
will. All we've managed to do is make more popular a policy
that wasn't very popular when we started trying to get rid of
it," he said.
    However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that
anyone who voted to move to proceed and certainly anyone who
votes to send this bill to conference is virtually voting to
kick millions off healthcare, to make it much harder to get
coverage if one has a pre-existing condition.
    "...To slash Medicaid and to give a huge amount of tax
cuts to the rich. We're going to do everything we can in this
chamber, and the so many groups outside the chamber to make
sure that this does not pass the Senate at the end of the
day," he said.
    Independent Women's Voice (IWV) policy director Hadley
Heath Manning applauded the senators for moving to proceed to
debate on health reform legislation.
    "By opening up debate, Senators have the opportunity to
consider a variety of ideas that will undo the harms of
ObamaCare," she said.
    Democratic Senator Mark Warner warned that the Senate
vote will have very real and disastrous consequences for
millions of Americans.
    "The only question is how many people will be harmed,
since Senate Republicans voted to move forward on a bill no
one has yet seen but which we already know will raise costs
and kick millions off their health insurance, including
millions of children, elderly and disabled Americans who
depend on Medicaid," he said. PTI