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Ohio Sen. Rob Portman Says Obamacare Repeal-and-Replace Vote Could Come By Month's End

a photo of Rob Portman
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Ohio's Republican Sen. Rob Portman says a vote is likely to happen by the end of the month on the beginning of the end for the Affordable Care Act.

Portman says a budget resolution will be voted on in the next week, which would establish when the Senate will vote on a reconciliation bill. That bill would decide on the type of transition to a new system, which could take two to three years.

“During that time period, people who are under the exchanges -- or are covered under expanded Medicaid -- would have the opportunity to continue to do so. So the Medicaid expansion that Ohio chose to do would continue throughout that transition.”

Portman added that a long-term goal would be to reform Medicaid so that states can waive some mandates of the program.

“If somebody wants a high deductible with a catastrophic coverage, they can buy that. But if they want a coverage that is a lower deductible that has a richer benefit package, they can buy that as well – and let the market decide that.”

The federal government rejected one such plan – dubbed HealthyOhio – last fall.

Kabir Bhatia is a senior reporter for Ideastream Public Media's arts & culture team.