In the early hours of Thursday, the Senate voted 51-48 on S. Con. Res. 3. The step was the first of many in repealing the Affordable Care Act. But what exactly is the Affordable Care Act? Why are Republicans so keen on repealing it? What is S. Con. Res. 3, and why does it matter?

What is the Affordable Care Act?

The Affordable Care Act is a “comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010”. The full law is available for the public to read. The Affordable Care Act is more commonly known as Obamacare, as President Obama drafted the law. But the ACA is often talked about as an entity separate from Obamacare due to political rhetoric.

In short, this is how the Affordable Care Act works:

“Americans who can afford to buy insurance directly from a provider are charged higher premiums to help to pay for the subsidies provided to those who buy their coverage from government-run marketplaces.”

Why don’t Republicans like it?

The Republican Party is fundamentally against big government. The ACA is the first step towards universal health-care, something that Republicans detest due to the government’s heavy involvement in the lives of Americans. Universal health-care is an ideal that has been fought against since Harry Truman proposed it in 1945. Arguably, the ACA is the most recent conflict in a political timeline specifically concerning health-care. In recent years, polarized politics have led many politicians to fight against the opposite party for reasons as petty as spite. Repealing the ACA would erase one of President Obama’s legacies and deal a heavy blow to the Democratic Party. Republicans also tend to criticize the economic consequences of the ACA, especially due to the recent hike in premium prices. The hike can be attributed to a variety of factors, including the increasing price of drugs, mandatory coverage for those with preexisting conditions (some of which are chronic), and insurance companies deciding to leave the marketplace after the law’s implementation.

Whose lives will be impacted if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without replacement?

The Urban Institute estimates that 29.8 million Americans will lose insurance if the Affordable Care Act is partially repealed (which it is currently set to be unless resistance grows within the GOP). 82% of these people (approx. 24,436,000) will be from working-class families, 38% (approx. 11,324,000) will be between the ages of 18-34, and 56% (approx. 16,688,000) will be non-Hispanic whites. More details on who will be impacted can be found here.

What S. Con. Res. 3, and how does it influence the repeal of the Affordable Care Act?

S. Con. Res. 3 is the name for the congressional budget being passed by the 115th Congress of the United States. Details on what the budget covers and entails can be found on the Congress’s official website.

According to The Hill, the budget resolution “is being used as a vehicle for rolling back the Affordable Care Act”. This first effort has passed the Senate, with the 51 yay votes being partisan and the 48 nay votes being bipartisan (due to Senator Rand Paul’s vote). On Friday, it passed the House. There were 227 yay votes (all partisan) and 198 nay votes (bipartisan due to nine Republicans crossing party lines).

Has the ACA been repealed as a result?

No. There's still more steps to take before a repeal can occur. These tweets by POLITICO writer Dan Diamond are a helpful and simplified way of viewing the steps involved.

Why is there no replacement if that hurts constituents?

As of right now, no replacement for the ACA has been drafted. Replacement is a complex process--to replace even a partial part of the ACA will take years. Amending the law would be simpler, but a step too moderate due to the polarization of the party. To make the situation more complicated, the Republican Party is already divided within itself. Many politicians fail to agree on what the replacement would entail, making it difficult to craft one. Even if they do manage to draft a replacement law, they will still require approval from across party lines despite their majority in both the House and Senate.

Understanding what the ACA is and the consequences of repealing it are vital, because Americans of all political stances will be affected. Even if your health-care isn’t affected, other aspects of your life probably will be as a result of even a partial repeal. Make sure to keep up to date on news regarding the ACA and stay informed.