Four GOP senators oppose health bill
Opposition could put measure in jeopardy as it heads for Senate vote
WASHINGTON — Four Republican senators from the conservative wing of their party say they oppose the Senate health care bill as it was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday, which places the effort to overhaul the American health care system in jeopardy as it heads for an anticipated vote in the Senate next week.
Those senators — Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah — released a statement saying that although they cannot support the bill as its currently written, they are open to negotiating changes that could ultimately win their support.
“Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it
is brought to the floor,” the statement said. “There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs.”
Their opposition is enough to place the GOP measure in serious jeopardy, because McConnell can afford to lose only two Republicans and still pass the measure. The bill is being moved under arcane budget rules that allow it to be passed with a simple majority, or 50 votes, if Vice President Mike Pence is relied on as a tiebreaker.
“The current bill does not repeal Obamacare. It does not keep our promises to the American people. I will oppose it coming to the floor in its current form, but I remain open to negotiations,” Paul said.
McConnell introduced draft text — crafted behind closed doors among a small circle of lawmakers and aides — of the Senate GOP bill in a private meeting with Republican senators on Thursday morning.
Initial signs indicated the bill could be in trouble if the Kentucky Republican intends to subject it to a vote before lawmakers leave Washington for the July 4 recess. According to two Republicans in close contact with Senate GOP leadership granted anonymity to describe private conversations, McConnell is threatening to bring the bill to a vote next week even if he doesn’t have the necessary votes.
But some believe that message is aimed at trying to pressure Republicans to support the bill rather than an absolute commitment — and that the majority leader would end the push if he didn’t have the votes. A spokeswoman for McConnell declined to comment.
“Right now, the challenge is how we get to 50,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., a top McConnell deputy.
No Democrats are expected to support the measure, which would dramatically scale back the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which was President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement and helped ensure coverage for roughly 20 million Americans through a combination of Medicaid and subsidized private plans.
One potentially ominous sign for leadership was the reaction of Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is up for re-election in 2018. Heller released a statement saying he has “serious concerns” about the bill’s Medicaid provisions.
The 142-page bill would curtail federal Medicaid funding, repeal taxes on the wealthy and eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood as part of an effort to fulfill a seven-year promise to undo Obamacare.
It would abolish two of the law’s central mandates — that individuals must show proof of insurance when filing their taxes, and that firms with 50 workers or more must provide health coverage — while providing less money for moderate and low-income Americans buying insurance on the individual market.
The bill is an attempt to strike a compromise between the Affordable Care Act and a measure passed by the GOP-controlled House in May. The Senate proposal largely mirrors the measure that passed the House — with some significant differences.
“Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act — and we are,” McConnell said in on speech on the Senate f loor. He underscored the taxes and regulations in the ACA that the GOP measure would repeal.
Senate Democrats swiftly protested the bill, criticizing Republicans for crafting it under secretive conditions and asking for more time to examine and debate the measure than McConnell plans to allow. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans were “turning truth upside down” with their promises of an open amendment process next week.
But McConnell faces the prospect of an open revolt from key conservative and moderate GOP senators, whose concerns he has struggled to balance in recent weeks.
Many Republicans reserved judgment on the measure as they exited McConnell’s private presentation.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said the mood in the room made for an “interesting morning, a little tense.” He was one of several Republicans who pushed for the Senate measure to be “more gracious” than the House bill, an aim he feels was satisfied. But Scott predicted there was “a long way to go” before he could conclude whether it could pass.
Senate leaders plan to move the bill to the floor after receiving an analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, expected “early next week.” The CBO is expected to release a comprehensive estimate of how many people are expected to lose coverage as a result of the bill and how much it is expected to cost.
The CBO concluded the House bill would leave 23 million more Americans uninsured by 2026 than under current law, while also concluding that premiums would drop overall.
Like the House bill, the Senate measure would make big changes to Medicaid that in effect would reduce federal spending on the program. While the House legislation would peg federal insurance subsidies to consumers’ age, the Senate bill would factor in income as well, as the ACA does.
The measure would preserve two of the ACA’s most-popular provisions: coverage for pre-existing conditions, and children may stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26.