The U.S. Senate started a wave of activity on Tuesday when it voted on a motion to proceed with debate on legislation that would significantly reform the country’s health care system. This vote launched a lengthy period of debate and amendment votes throughout the week, which are still ongoing as of press time. The outcome remains uncertain.

Tuesday night, a vote on Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the “Better Care Reconciliation Act” (BCRA), failed when nine Republican senators joined all their Democratic colleagues in voting against the amendment.

Wednesday, the Senate voted on legislation that would repeal the ACA without replacing it immediately. That legislation also failed to garner the necessary votes for passage. In addition to several other amendments, the Senate is also expected to vote on a “skinny repeal” bill, which would likely repeal the individual mandate, the employer mandate, the medical device tax and potentially some other aspects of the ACA. At this time, it is unclear whether the “skinny repeal” legislation could garner enough votes to pass in the Senate.

Much is left to be determined as of press time, but the Big “I” will continue to provide updates on health reform through upcoming editions of the News & Views e-newsletter.

Wyatt Stewart is Big “I” senior director of federal government affairs.