Senate preps a major face lift

Senate Republicans are eager to get their hands on the ObamaCare replacement bill that narrowly passed the House on Thursday.

Several said they won’t vote on the House bill but will write their own legislation instead.

“The safest thing to say is there will be a Senate bill, but it will look at what the House has done and see how much of that we can incorporate in a product that works for us in reconciliation,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told the Washington Examiner.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker said there is “zero” chance the bill will pass quickly through the Senate without undergoing some major adjustments.

Moderate GOP senators have already registered complaints with the House bill’s reductions to Medicaid, while conservative members are said to be reviewing provisions that would defund Planned Parenthood and give states more flexibility on costs and care.

The House included several sweeteners to appease centrist Republicans and their conservative counterparts to amass the 217 votes that got the bill through.

Many expect a similarly arduous process to unfold in the upper chamber, where Democratic support for the repeal-and-replace effort is entirely absent.

Four moderate GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) and Cory Gardner (Colo.) — are expected to push for more protections for Medicaid expansion beneficiaries.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has questioned whether Americans with pre-existing conditions would encounter significant insurance-related issues under the House bill. She also remains opposed to efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding, according to an aide.

Meanwhile, Sens. Mike Lee (RUtah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are expected to propose changes to drive down costs and further reduce the government’s involvement in the healthcare industry.