Lawmakers have proposed putting off the effective date of repeal from as little as six months to as long as three years to come up with a replacement — and give insurance markets a chance to prepare. Several senators suggested at the meeting with Pence that additional measures from Congress or the administration may be needed to address rising insurance premiums and avoid roiling the insurance markets in the period between repeal and replace, attendees said.
The length of the transition is pitting hard-line conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz and members of the House Freedom Caucus, who favor a relatively speedy replacement, against Senate leaders who are pushing the three-year option…
Privately, Republican lawmakers said that a three-year transition could be a major political headache. If such a delay is enacted early next year, repeal would land in the thick of the next presidential primary season. Furthermore, Republicans believe they may have to vote to extend health care subsidies in any Obamacare replacement, which likely would be scored as a tax increase and turn off fiscal conservatives.
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