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Lawmakers will act this year on bills not simply repealing President Barack Obama's health care law but replacing it as well, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday. The remarks by Ryan, R-Wis., suggested a faster schedule than some had expected on reshaping the nation's health care system. While Republicans have said they plan to vote this year on dismantling Obama's law, Ryan went a step further, saying they also would write legislation to replace it in 2017. It won't be easy. (Fram, 1/5)

Republicans will put forward their plan to replace ObamaCare sometime this year, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday.  Republicans are planning to pass a repeal bill quickly without having a replacement ready, but Ryan said that the replacement would follow this year.  He said he did not yet know when the repeal bill and replacement bill would take effect, because Republicans are still working out how long to make the transition period. (Sullivan, 1/5)

House Speaker Paul Ryan says legislative work on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act will be completed this year, but exactly when the transition takes place on insurance exchanges is still to be determined. “Our legislating on Obamacare, our repealing and replacing and transitioning, the legislating will occur this year,” Ryan said at a Thursday news conference. “What date all of this gets phased in on is something we do not know now because we are waiting for the Trump administration to be stood up. We’re waiting for Tom Price to be confirmed.” (McIntire, 1/5)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday reiterated the need to move swiftly to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, as Republicans face growing questions about the turmoil that might ensue and the viability of crafting a replacement. ... But there are increasing signs that the final result of the intensifying battle over health care will be more complicated, and that the final health plan may retain or restore parts of the Affordable Care Act. (Armour and Hackman, 1/5)

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) on Thursday said there will be no changes to ObamaCare in 2017 or 2018."Immediately, what we're saying, is we're not going to pull the rug out from under anyone. There's not going to be any changes in 2017. There's not going to be changes in 2018," Collins, a member of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, said on CNN. "Those products have already been approved by the state insurance agencies, or for the 2018 time, are in negotiation right now," he continued. (Savransky, 1/5)

The future of the Affordable Care Act will be the legislative battle looming over all work in the new session. That's raising some worry from interest groups and lawmakers that the highly partisan atmosphere will spill over into other “must pass” healthcare bills — like pharmaceutical and medical device user fees and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — which usually enjoy bipartisan support. Both sides agree ObamaCare repeal will make other health priorities more complicated. (Weixel, 1/5)