Trump urges Republicans to do their job, replace ObamaCare

Washington: US President Donald Trump said that his fellow Republicans in the Senate have not done their job in fulfilling their promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and he urged them to do so this week.

"So far, Senate Republicans have not done their job in ending the Obamacare nightmare. They now have a chance, however, to hopefully fix what has been so badly broken for such a long time and that is through replacement of a horrible disaster known as Obamacare," Trump said in a statement on Monday.

The president appeared surrounded by several families whom he characterized as victims of the 2010 health care reform implemented by his predecessor Barack Obama and he described the problems they had experienced because of what he called the failings of the Affordable Care Act.

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"Every Republican running for office promised immediate relief from this disastrous law," Trump said.

"We as a party must fulfill that solemn promise to the voters of this country to repeal and replace - what they have been saying for the last seven years. But so far Senate Republicans have not done their job in ending the Obamacare nightmare," he added.

On Tuesday, the Republican leadership in the Senate will push for a vote to decide whether debate will commence on a health care bill, although it is still not clear what the proposal to be brought to a vote actually contains.

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The Republicans are divided between their more moderate wing, which favours some aspects of ObamaCare, and their ultraconservative faction, which is reluctant to allow any government intervention in people's lives, including when it comes to mandating that people acquire health care coverage.

IANS