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McCaskill: Obamacare 'Shouldn't Be Left Standing as It Is'

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) said Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Obamacare needs to be changed, arguing Congress should be "stabilizing and fixing the problems with the Affordable Care Act."

Co-host Willie Geist first noted that Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) have proposed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, adding that they have until Sept. 30 to pass it with a simple majority in the Senate.

The chamber's parliamentarian informed the budget committee that the Senate only had until Sept. 30 to repeal Obamacare with just a simple, 51-vote majority, before Republicans would need to solicit Democratic support to pass the legislation.

Geist then asked McCaskill whether she believes "at the end of the day" Obamacare will survive in its current form.

"Well, it shouldn't be left standing as it is. We need to repair it; we need to make it stronger," McCaskill responded. "There are a lot of things—and, by the way, [Sen.] Lamar Alexander [R., Tenn.] began the day after [Sen.] John McCain [R., Ariz.] voted no. He and [Sen.] Patty Murray [D., Wash.] were already working on hearings and finding a way forward to stabilize the individual markets."

McCaskill added that Congress needs to address "problems" with Obamacare "right now."

"That's what we should be doing right now. In addition to reauthorizing the children's insurance program, we should be stabilizing and fixing the problems with the Affordable Care Act," she said.