Cotton still unsure on health bill effort

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton doesn’t know whether Republicans will be able to reach an agreement on health care before they leave for the August recess, he said in an interview late last week.

“I hope we will. We still have a few holdout Republican senators, though,” he said Thursday. “I wouldn’t have guessed that so many Republicans who campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare would find it so hard to do, but I’m still eager to do it because I know that Obamacare is hurting a lot of Arkansans.”

Asked what will happen if Republicans renege on their promise to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Cotton said: “I’m not worried about the political consequences here. I’m worried about the consequences for Arkansans who are suffering from the pain inflicted by Obamacare, from higher premiums and losing their insurance coverage or not being able to see their normal doctor. That’s where my focus has been and that’s where my focus is going to remain till we get it right.”

The absence of Sen. John McCain adds to the uncertainty; the Arizona Republican revealed last week that he’s battling brain cancer.

Cotton, a Dardanelle Republican who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee with McCain, said he’s hoping his friend and colleague recovers.

“Glioblastoma is a serious kind of brain cancer, but I know if there’s any person who can beat brain cancer it’s John McCain because he’s beaten the odds all his life,” Cotton said.