The first steps were taken to repeal Obamacare. The Senate votes to repeal Obamacare. Officially, the vote was 51 to 48, mostly along party lines. The vote was to start a "procedural debate" which will lead to an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. The vote happened just after President Obama and Vice President-elect Mike Pence headed to Capitol Hill to rally their parties for it.
Senate Votes to Repeal Obamacare
There was just one senator who did not vote with their party. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul joined Democrats in opposing the motion. Paul opposed this because it does not balance the underlying budget.
While the Republican Party is very determined to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, there will be much deliberation before the next steps in the process. Many of their leaders are considering a "repeal and delay" approach, which would keep the repeal from going into place for 2 or 3 years. The delay would give lawmakers ample time to come up with a replacement plan. Insurance companies strongly oppose this as it would bring a great deal of uncertainty to the market.
GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander had made it known that he believes repealing Obamacare before a replacement has been crafted would be a big mistake. He stresses that there can be loads of consequences if the "repeal and delay" approach is used.