Despite House’s haste, Senate remains hesitant
In March, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., canceled a vote on an earlier version of the bill because it did not have enough Republican support to pass. Not a single Democrat voted for the bill.
Senators “want to make sure we know what our bill costs,” Alexander said. The House passed its legislation before the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office had time to analyze it to estimate what it would cost and how many Americans it would insure. The CBO estimated that the original House bill would have led to 24 million fewer people having insurance by 2026, but it would cut federal budget deficits by $337 billion.
Sen. Rob Portman, a moderate Republican from Ohio, said Thursday that he is worried about how the House bill could affect his constituents. Ohio is one of 32 states that expanded its Medicaid program for low-income residents under Obamacare.
“I’ve already made clear that I don’t support the House bill as currently constructed because I continue to have concerns that this bill does not do enough to protect Ohio’s Medicaid expansion population, especially those who are receiving treatment for heroin and prescription drug abuse,” Portman said in a statement. “We have an opioid crisis in this country, and I’m going to continue to work with my colleagues on solutions that ensure that those who are impacted by this epidemic can continue to receive treatment.”
Portman said Obamacare cannot be sustained as insurance premiums and deductibles “continue their steep climb.”
“Congress must take responsible action that lowers health care costs, but these changes must be made in a way that does not leave people behind,” the senator said.
Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said he wants to repeal Obamacare “in a way that benefits Nevadans, but I think that the current bill falls short.” Nevada expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. “I will not support it in its current form in the Senate and am confident that what the Senate considers and approves will be different from the House bill,” Heller said in a statement. “We cannot pull the rug out from under states like Nevada that expanded Medicaid.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., appealed to his Republican colleagues Thursday to slow down and work with Democrats, who are united against the bill. “It harms the American people in so many ways,” Schumer said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”