• Casey, Toomey square off from afar over GOP health care plan,

HARRISBURG — At a rally Friday morning in the state Capitol, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey urged voters to help him and other Democrats defeat the Senate Republicans’ plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.

“In the next couple of days, into the very last hour, please keep advocating,” Mr. Casey, D-Pa., told several dozen people gathered in the rotunda. “Please keep writing and marching and calling, and going on social media, and calling senators in other states as well as Pennsylvania.”

He spoke a day after Senate Republicans unveiled their long-awaited proposal to replace Obamacare, a bill their leaders hope to bring to a vote next week. With Republicans clinging to a two-seat majority in the Senate and Democrats unified against the plan, every vote will count.

Mr. Casey said debate about the bill had paid too little attention to how it would affect people who get their health insurance through their employers — more than 150 million Americans.

“If you’ve got employer coverage, they’re coming for you, too,” he said. “Because if you live in a state in the future where there’s a waiver, you will not get protection from pre-existing conditions.

“They can still make sure that if you’re pregnant, you’re not going to get the kind of maternity benefits that you might need. All that will be legal if the state you live in goes with a waiver,” he said. “So don’t think you’re in the clear because we’re talking a lot about Medicaid. That’s why I said this bill is bad for the whole country.”

Pennsylvania’s other senator, Republican Pat Toomey, was among the lawmakers who crafted the bill. In an oped article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr. Toomey said “the foundation of Obamacare, a dramatically enhanced federal role in health insurance, has failed to deliver on the promises of its architects.”

He said the Senate proposal won’t affect “the vast majority of Pennsylvanians” who get insurance through an employer, Medicare or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but it will “stabilize” the individual market used by about 400,000.

He disputed claims the bill would drastically cut Medicaid, which serves lowincome Americans, saying it seeks to reform it “so it is sustainable for future generations and taxpayers.” He also said the proposal — a parallel bill to one that has been passed by the House — still needs to undergo extensive review and will be subject to amendments.

Mr. Toomey’s stance has for months drawn protesters outside his Pittsburgh and Philadelphia offices. Dozens returned again on Thursday and Friday.