Take time on health bill

Senator wants time to evaluate proposal

Sen. Ron Johnson objects to holding vote next week.

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson objected Wednesday to his party’s plan to push an Obamacare repeal plan through the U.S. Senate next week.

“I have a hard time believing anybody will have enough time to have a true evaluation and get (public) input on this by next week,” Johnson said in an interview Wednesday.

Johnson said he wants input from a “broad spectrum” of people and groups in Wisconsin before voting for the legislation. Johnson expressed deep skepticism that Republiright” can leaders are providing enough time for that to happen.

Senators are expecting to see a draft of the bill for the first time Thursday.

“I am going to need the information to justify a yes vote. I’ll need the information to vote on a very imperfect bill that doesn’t even come close to doing the things that I want to see done,” Johnson said.

Republicans can only afford to lose the support of two of their own in order to muster the bare Senate majority needed to pass an Obamacare replacement bill.

Johnson, a fierce critic of Obamacare, has not widely been seen as one of the votes his party has to worry about it.

He did not rule out voting for the GOP bill next week de- spite the reservations he expressed Wednesday.

“Never say never,” he told the Journal Sentinel. The second-term senator said that assuming there is a vote next week, “my evaluation will be, is it an improvement over the current situation? ... I will not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

But Johnson has expressed qualms in the past about the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives and about the strategy and approach his party is taking in Congress on the issue.

Johnson reiterated Wednesday his view that Republicans should take the immediate and short-term step of trying to stabilize the health care markets, before taking additional time to “make sure we get this when it comes to an Obamacare replacement plan.

A major health insurance provider in Wisconsin, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, announced Wednesday it is largely pulling out of the state’s marketplace set up through the Affordable Care Act. About 14,000 people are covered by the plans Anthem will discontinue next year.

“I am in a hurry to stabilize the markets,” said Johnson, but not in the same hurry to pass a repeal-and-replace bill by next week.

“I am not agreeing with (my) leadership on that,” he said.

“All I’m saying is ... let’s give everybody enough time to evaluate it before we’re really forced to vote on it,” said Johnson.