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But first he thanked the representative from Georgia for advice about his knee.

Rep. Tom Price of Georgia is an orthopedic surgeon, as well as a member of the Tea Party caucus and a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act. Hes also President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for Health and Human Services.

Ive never shown my knee to any nominee before, Bennet said before switching gears.

Much of the questioning of Price Wednesday focused on his stake in an Australian company that makes experimental drugs at the same time he helped draft legislation that makes it easier for new drugs to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration, as well as on his positions on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, pushed hard on a different line of attack that borrowed generously with attribution from Republican Sen. Rand Paul, the only Republican to vote against the budget resolutionthat includes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Paul voted no because the resolution allows for more than $9 trillion in new debt over the next 10 years. During hearings before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Bennet quoted Paul at length to say that Republicans were tramping on principles of fiscal conservatism in their rush to repeal Obamacare. He asked Price if he would promise not to increase the debt or the deficit in the process of getting rid of the outgoing presidents signature legislation.

Youve been a strong advocate of balancing the budget, Bennet said. What Ive noticed is that after gaining control of theHouse, the Senate and the White House, the first order of business for the Republican majority here has been to pass a budget resolution repealing the ACA. This budget resolutionspecificallyauthorizes $9 trillion in additional debt over the next 10 years.

Bennet grew emotional as he quoted Paul describing the way he was lobbied: Were in a hurry. We cant be bothered. Its just numbers. Dont worry. Itsnot really a budget. And yet the legislation says its a budget!

So, Bennet asked Price,how does he square hisbudget hawk position with this vehicle for repealing the ACA? Does he supportthis budget?

What I support is an opportunity to use reconciliation to address the real challenges inthe Affordable Care Act and to make certain we put in place at the same time a provision thatallows us to move the health care system in a much betterdirection, Price said.

Do you support the budget that was passed by the Senate Republicans? Bennet pressed.

I support the process that allows for and provides for the fiscal year 17 reconciliation bill to come forward, Price said.

Will you commit as a member of the Tea Party that no replacement for this dreadful Obamacare that allegedly created this deficit and debt wont contribute to the deficit and debt? Bennet asked.

Price said he could commit to working with Democrats to reduce the deficit.

Well then.

Oh, and on Bennets painful knee, Price recommends an MRI.

Erica Meltzer covers government and politics. She's worked for newspapers in Colorado, Arizona and Illinois and once won a First Amendment Award by showing up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay and can swear fluently in Guarani. She gets emotional about public libraries. Contact Erica Meltzer at 303-502-2802, emeltzer@denverite.com or @meltzere. View all posts by Erica Meltzer

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Michael Bennet went after Trump's HHS pick with Rand Paul's line ... - Denverite (blog)

Lexington Herald Leader

Rand Paul only Republican to vote 'no' as Senate takes first step to repeal Obamacare Lexington Herald Leader Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote no. As a physician, I cannot wait to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a health care system that relies on freedom to provide quality, comprehensive, and affordable care, Paul said in a ... Rand Paul rolling out ObamaCare replacement this weekThe Hill (blog) Rand Paul: Trump open to passing Obamacare replacement alongside repealWashington Post Trump Supposedly Opposes the GOP's Obamacare Repeal PlanNew York Magazine National Review -Raw Story all 3,575 news articles »

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Rand Paul only Republican to vote 'no' as Senate takes first step to repeal Obamacare - Lexington Herald Leader

Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulSanders, Dems defend ObamaCare at Michigan rally Paul: Medicaid expansion 'the big question' Rand Paul: ObamaCare replacement goal is to insure most people at lowest cost MORE (R-Ky.) on Sunday criticized ObamaCare and said the goal of his replacement plan is to insure as many as people as possible at a low cost.

"Our goal is to insure the most amount of people, give access to the most amount of people, at the least amount of cost," Paul said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"And I think this is where ObamaCare failed. They wanted to insure people, their motives were good, their heart was in the right place. But they put so many mandates in it that they made it too expensive."

Now, Paul said, some companies in the individual market are losing money because "young, healthy people don't want to buy it."

Paul said one of the key reforms of the replacement for President Obama's signature healthcare legislation is to "legalize the sale of inexpensive insurance."

"That means getting rid of the ObamaCare mandates on what you can buy," Paul said.

"We're going to help people save, through health savings accounts as well as a tax credit."

The replacement will also allow "individuals to come together in associations to buy insurance," Paul said.

President-elect Donald TrumpDonald TrumpTrump to continue using @realDonaldTrump account as president Trumps healthcare plan will offer insurance for everybody: report Trump on outgoing CIA director: Was this the leaker of Fake News? MORE vowed throughout his presidential campaign to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has been a top priority of the new Congress, with Republicans now holding majorities in both the House and the Senate.

The House on Fridaytook the first step toward repealing ObamaCarewith a vote largely along party lines to approve a budget resolution serving as the vehicle to wind down the law.

Paul has been an advocate of repealing and replacing ObamaCare at the same time.

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Rand Paul: ObamaCare replacement goal is to insure most ...

Gage Skidmore / FoterWhen the Senate took the first of many steps in the Obamacare repeal process this week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was the only Republican to vote in opposition.

But it's important to understand that what happened this week wasn't a straightforward Obamacare repeal vote, and Paul wasn't voting to keep the law in place. He was voting out of objection to the GOP's debt-laden budget plans.

The vote was the first step in a long and convoluted budget process that Republicans are hope to use as a vehicle for repealing major components of the law. That process, known as reconciliation, is complex and convoluted, and it will take weeks if it goes swiftly, but could easily take much longer.

After the Senate adopts a budget resolution, the House must follow with its own. Then the two must come together, either through a conference process or by adopting the same measure. From there committee instructions are drawn up, and the process splits into two tracks again, with relevant House and Senate committees putting together their own reconciliation bills, each of which must be debated in multiple committees and then passed by the full body, and then unified again, likely requiring yet another conference process. Only then can the bill be sent to the president's desk. (A Roll Call infographic helpfully lays out the basics here.)

Ultimately, there's no guarantee that this process will actually end with the repeal of the health law.

So what we saw this week wasn't the main event. If this were a dinner party, it wouldn't be the meal. It wouldn't even be setting the table. It would be more like deciding that perhaps there should be a meal several weeks or months down the road, with no final agreement about what might be on the menu.

Paul's no vote was an objection to the budget itselfwhich adds to the national debt and provides no clear path to budget balancenot to repealing the health care law.

Here's how he explained it:

"As a physician, I cannot wait to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a health care system that relies on freedom to provide quality, comprehensive, and affordable care," Paul said in a statement, reports the Lexinton Herald-Leader. "But putting nearly $10 trillion more in debt on the American people's backs through a budget that never balances is not the way to get there. It is the exact opposite of the change Republicans promised, and I cannot support it, even as a placeholder.Not only are we not cutting spending, but we are also proposing an increase at an exponential pace. There is no reason we cannot repeal Obamacare and pass a balanced budget at the same time."

This isn't the only objection Paul has raised to the GOP's plans this year. He has also been among the most vocal GOP legislators in opposing Republican leadership's "repeal and delay" strategy on Obamacare, which would repeal the law but leave it in place for several years while the GOP worked out a replacement plan. It looks as if Paul is deliberately taking steps to distance himself from the party and its leadership in order to preserve a measure of independence.

Paul isn't the only Republican to trash the GOP's budget plans either.

The House is expected to vote on its own budget resolution today, and Rep. Justin Amash (R-Michigan) says he's voting no because the plan would add far too much to the debt. "By nearly every measure," he wrote last night, the current proposal "is the worst budget I've seen as a congressman."

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Rand Paul, Justin Amash Trash the GOP Majoritys Debt-Ridden ...

Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulFreedom Caucus wants more ObamaCare repeal details before budget vote Overnight Healthcare: GOP leaders defend plan to delay ObamaCare replacement Schumer flubs Dems ObamaCare protest slogan MORE (R-Ky.) said Friday that President-elect Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDeVos confirmation hearing delayed Trump pick Monica Crowley faces more plagiarism accusations: report Sanders, Trump supporter spar over small business regulations MORE agrees with his proposal to repeal and replace ObamaCare at the same time, rather than roll back the law with no plan to move forward.

I just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and he fully supports my plan to replace Obamacare the same day we repeal it. The time to act is now. Paul tweeted.

I just spoke to@realDonaldTrumpand he fully supports my plan to replace Obamacare the same day we repeal it. The time to act is now.

Paul wrote in an op-ed earlier this week that it would be wise to vote on a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act as the law is repealed.

"If Congress fails to vote on a replacement at the same time as repeal, the repealers risk assuming the blame for the continued unraveling of Obamacare. For mark my words, Obamacare will continue to unravel and wreak havoc for years to come," he wrote.

On Wednesday, Paul said he would vote against a budget resolution that paves the way for lawmakers to repeal ObamaCare because it is not balanced.

The Senate is expected to vote next week on a shell budget resolution that includes guidelines for repealing the Affordable Care Act.

He also told reporters that he would likely ultimately support ObamaCare repeal, even if it does not come with a replacement plan immediately.

Under the GOP repeal guidelines, four committees would have until late January to hand over their repeal proposals.

Read more here:
Rand Paul: Trump backs plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare ...