text: Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainFive Takeaways from West Virginia's Senate debate Trump's Russia ambassador Jon Huntsman reveals cancer diagnosis Scarborough rips Graham for saying he’ll introduce legislation to end birthright citizenship: He’s ‘degrading’ himself for Trump MORE’s (R-Ariz.) announcement that he will oppose the latest GOP ObamaCare repeal bill has left both parties wondering about the health care law’s future. 
   
   Some Republicans are still pushing for repeal, given the tiny chance that they could still scrounge up enough votes before Sept. 30, the deadline for using budgetary rules that prevent a filibuster on the measure. 
   
   Vice President Pence said Friday that he and President Trump are “undeterred” in their effort to repeal the law, while Democrats say that they are on guard and will keep up the pressure. 
   
   But it seems more likely that the debate could be moving into a new stage. 
   
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   Democrats are pushing for bipartisan talks in the Senate Health Committee, which Republicans shut down earlier this week. 
   
   McCain cited those talks in opposing the new bill, and Trump has given more nods toward working with Democrats in recent weeks. The president also wants to turn to tax reform, which is taking up an increasing amount of his workload. 
   
   A key issue in the bipartisan talks would be addressing payments known as cost-sharing reductions that help insurers provide coverage to low- and middle-income people. 
   
   Trump has threatened to cancel those payments in an effort to make ObamaCare “implode.” And he still could. 
   
   The bipartisan Senate talks were aimed at providing congressional approval for those funds to cement their legality and prevent Trump from canceling them. Insurers say that step would be critical in giving them certainty and preventing premium increases. 
   
   Sen. Lamar Alexander Andrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderOvernight Health Care — Presented by Purdue Pharma — Judge urges insurers to drop challenge over non-ObamaCare plans | Azar vows to push ahead with drug pricing proposal | No increase for ObamaCare outreach budget Dems blast Trump rule changes on ObamaCare Overnight Health Care — Presented by the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs — Senate blocks Dem measure on short-term health plans | Trump signs bill banning drug price 'gag clauses' | DOJ approves Aetna-CVS merger | Juul ramps up lobbying MORE (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Health Committee and the lead Republican negotiator, has not yet commented after McCain’s announcement. 
   
   It is highly unlikely that an end to the ObamaCare repeal effort would usher in an era of bipartisanship on health care. 
   
   House conservatives and liberal Democrats in the House and Senate have very different ideas on how to move forward on health care, something underlined by a CNN debate scheduled for Monday. Its participants include Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersFive Takeaways from West Virginia's Senate debate Election Countdown: 5 days to midterms | Steve King faces his toughest test | Oprah stumps for Abrams in Georgia | Trump stokes controversy with immigration ad | Dems keep focus on health care | Polls show West Virginia, Indiana Senate races tightening Former Maryland Governor predicts gubernatorial race will narrow MORE (I-Vt.), whose single-payer system is gaining steam with Democrats, and the authors of the latest GOP ObamaCare repeal bill, Sens. Bill Cassidy William (Bill) Morgan CassidyDyslexia is more common than society realizes. Here’s what we can do to help children struggling in the shadows. Congress must protect eye care patients from frightful prescriptions Trump signs bills banning drug pricing 'gag clauses' MORE (La.) and Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamThe birthright citizenship debate explained GOP Senate candidates dodge on Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship Kobach: 'Misimpression' that 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship MORE (S.C.). 
   
   Without any bipartisan action or a final long-shot repeal attempt, ObamaCare, which has extended coverage to roughly 20 million people, will remain on the books. 
   
   Despite worries that there would be counties next year without any insurance options, insurers have stepped in to fill every area. Standard & Poors found in July that ObamaCare markets are “stabilizing.” 
   
   Democrats believe there are plenty of risks to the law, however, as long as Trump is in the White House. 
   
   They accuse the president of threatening to “sabotage” the law — both with his threats on the insurer payments and a 90 percent cut to funds used to advertise and enroll people in the insurance exchanges. 
   
   Within hours of McCain’s statement on Friday, Democrats were pointing to an announcement that the administration would be taking healthcare.gov offline from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Sunday during the enrollment period. 
   
   “More sabotage of our health care system,” Matt House, a spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerMcSally accuses Arizona media of 'protecting' Dem opponent Sinema Scarborough tears into GOP candidates promising protections for pre-existing conditions: ‘They’re all lying’ Manchin wrestles with progressive backlash in West Virginia MORE (N.Y.), wrote on Twitter. 
   
   A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the downtime is part of regularly scheduled “maintenance outages” that happen every year. “This year is no different,” the spokesman said. 
   
   Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA, a leading pro-ObamaCare group, said that repeal is still a “very, very real threat for millions and millions of Americans.” 
   
   But beyond that threat, he warned: “It's a real concern that the administration is trying to sabotage the ability of Americans to get high-quality affordable coverage.” 
   
   He warned that if enrollment efforts fall off, fewer healthy people will be enrolled in ObamaCare, which will harm the long-term sustainability of the exchanges. 
   
   McCain’s opposition is a major blow to the seven-year effort to repeal the law. 
   
   It almost certainly dooms the current legislation, given opposition to the bill from Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulOvernight Defense: Trump says 15,000 troops could deploy to border | Mattis insists deployment is not 'stunt' | Pompeo calls for Yemen peace talks in November GOP senators press Trump to halt nuclear energy talks with Saudi Arabia Tester fights for survival at home MORE (R-Ky.), and Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsFlake: Trump 'can't' and 'shouldn't' nix birthright citizenship Judiciary's GOP chairman says ending birthright citizenship would require rewriting Constitution Avoid temptation to seek partisan advantage from pipe bomb arrest MORE (R-Maine) said in a statement that she is leaning against it. Collins is seen as a long-shot to vote for repeal, and Republicans can only afford two defections. 
   
   It’s also possible there are other GOP senators who do not want to back the bill. 
   
   It’s of course still possible Republicans could make another effort at repeal either before or after Sept. 30. 
   
   Sen. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchOn The Money: Dow, S&P; turn negative for 2018 | Maxine Waters among Dems targeted by bomb threats | Senate Finance chair says new Trump tax cuts 'unlikely' this year Senate Finance chair: Trump's new tax cut 'highly unlikely' this year Romney on suspicious packages: 'Hate acts follow hate speech' MORE (R-Utah) has even floated the idea of pairing ObamaCare repeal with tax reform under a new budget resolution that would again allow Republicans to avoid a Democratic filibuster. 
   
   Yet such a plan would put tax reform at risk, something that seems unlikely at this stage. 
   
   Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, sounded a note of disappointment but did not criticize McCain after his announcement. 
   
   “Certainly today's news is not a positive sign for people yearning for lower insurance premiums but to criticize Senator McCain would be to allow my disappointment to manifest itself in a manner that won't produce a different outcome,” Meadows said. “Amendments and a floor vote should still be allowed.” 
   
   Scott Wong contributed. ||||| Tweet with a location 
   
   You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| When John McCain cast the decisive vote against Obamacare repeal two months ago, Chuck Schumer waved an arm to quiet fellow Democrats as they burst into audible elation. 
   
   Don’t gloat or cheer over the GOP’s failure, Schumer signaled — a move he made again on Friday in a statement, after McCain delivered what looks like a fatal blow to his party’s seven-year drive to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. 
   
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   Far from celebrating, Democrats tempered their responses to McCain with reminders of the bipartisan health care talks that Republicans had walked away from when they took one last shot at repealing Obamacare. And even as their liberal base turned a rally to pressure McCain into a thank-you celebration, Democrats stopped far short of declaring repeal dead. 
   
   “John McCain shows the same courage in Congress that he showed when he was a naval aviator,” the Senate minority leader said in his statement about the Arizona Republican’s opposition to repeal. “I have assured Senator McCain that as soon as repeal is off the table, we Democrats are intent on resuming the bipartisan process.” 
   
   A senior Senate Democratic aide summed up the next step: "Now we extend the olive branch to bipartisanship." 
   
   The latest Obamacare repeal gambit, shepherded this time by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), caught many Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists off-guard. They reminded one another publicly and privately on Friday that, McCain's opposition aside, only the Sept. 30 expiration of Republicans' ability to push through repeal with 50 votes can give Obamacare supporters room to breathe easy. 
   
   "This bill is not dead yet," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted. "You can relax on October 1. They never let up, and neither can we." 
   
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   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office did not immediately respond to questions about whether he will still hold the vote on the bill, which would turn Obamacare funding into block grants for the states, make deep cuts to Medicaid and undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Proponents say it would provide needed flexibility to governors to administer health care. 
   
   One Democratic aide advised the party to maintain a dual mission: "Democrats need to stay vocal about the dangers of this bill and keep pushing for bipartisan solutions." 
   
   Liberal groups that had hustled their grass-roots cavalry back to Democrats' side are staying vocal, despite some lingering frustration over Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cutting a short-term fiscal deal with President Donald Trump. 
   
   Anti-repeal activists are pressing ahead with their plans for dozens of rallies this weekend, with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee maintaining a five-figure ad campaign it rolled out Friday that targets GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Dean Heller of Nevada, Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Jeff Flake of Arizona. 
   
   "Until we have three rock-solid nos that are public, we shouldn’t assume that everything is completely off the table next week," MoveOn.org Washington director Ben Wikler said in an interview. 
   
   In a move sure to please Democrats, McCain's lengthy statement on his opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill also included an encouragement of the bipartisan talks led by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to shore up insurance markets, which GOP leadership had all but quashed earlier this week. 
   
   “I fear that the prospect of one last attempt at a strictly Republican bill has left the impression that their efforts cannot succeed,” McCain said of Alexander and Murray. “I hope they will resume their work should this last attempt at a partisan solution fail.” 
   
   Murray quickly released a statement describing herself as "still at the table ready to keep working," adding, "I remain confident that we can reach a bipartisan agreement as soon as this latest partisan approach by Republican leaders is finally set aside.” 
   
   Minutes after McCain's announcement, Pelosi blasted out an email to her colleagues, urging them to move ahead with plans to hold events in opposition to the bill this weekend despite the likelihood that repeal cannot move forward. 
   
   "This weekend, we will continue to highlight the devastating costs Republicans are trying to inflict on hard-working Americans,” Pelosi said. “Together, we will finally put the stake in the heart of this monstrous bill.” 
   
   Pelosi will also hold a conference call with health care advocates and progressive allies on Saturday and talk health care on NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday. 
   
   Before McCain upended the latest Republican repeal drive, several Democratic aides had privately echoed some liberal activists' complaints that Schumer and Pelosi's debt-limit deal backfired — clearing the September calendar and giving Republicans more time to turn their focus to health care. But Pelosi brushed aside the insinuation when asked by reporters, saying the two issues “aren’t even related.” 
   
   Other Democrats had fretted about the timing of Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders’ splashy single-payer health care rollout, which Republicans quickly seized on as a talking point to rally their troops behind repeal. Democrats publicly dismissed that claim but say privately they don’t want to antagonize Republicans until the Sept. 30 deadline is past. 
   
   Part of Democrats' guarded tone on Friday is rooted in lessons learned from previous exultation earlier this year, when they thought the GOP had been thwarted, only to see another repeal push roar to life. 
   
   Pelosi’s tone, while more aggressive than Schumer's, is a far cry from those previous celebrations. 
   
   "I call upon Speaker [Paul] Ryan to now initiate a bipartisan effort in the House to improve and update the Affordable Care Act," she said.
target: – John McCain's opposition to the latest GOP effort to repeal ObamaCare didn't quite kill the legislation's chances, though it came pretty close. Still, Democrats are taking pains not to declare victory in public or do anything that smacks of gloating, reports Politico. As Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted, "This bill is not dead yet. You can relax on October 1. They never let up, and neither can we." (After that date, Democrats will be able to easily kill any repeal effort with a filibuster.) McCain joins Rand Paul as a definite no, meaning Mitch McConnell can't afford one more defection even as Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both were leaning in that direction. So what next? McConnell isn't saying yet whether he will proceed with a vote on the bill from Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham regardless, reports the Washington Post. If the repeal effort does indeed fail this month, Democrats want to resurrect bipartisan talks aimed at improving ObamaCare, rather than dismantling it. But given the vast differences in ideas on the left and right about what is necessary, the Hill doesn't see much hope for an "era of bipartisanship" on health care. On Friday night, President Trump called McCain's decision "horrible" but suggested that Republicans continue with the vote. “The most we’ll be is one or two votes short,” he said, per the New York Times. "You can’t quit when you have one or two votes short. You can’t do it." Meanwhile, co-author Graham didn't sound too peeved at McCain. "My friendship with @SenJohnMcCain is not based on how he votes but respect for how he’s lived his life and the person he is," he tweeted.