The Obamacare Repeal bill is in danger of not being approved in the Senate after six Republican senators said they will not support the Legislation. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said they will not vote in favor of the bill.
Among their reasons for withdrawal of support is the release on Monday by the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office of a report that 23 million people stand to lose their health insurance with the repeal, The New York Daily News reported.
Other reasons cited by the six include the failure of the legislation to repeal Obamacare or guarantee a reduction in health care costs.
Senate delays vote
Following the withdrawal of support by some GOP senators for the Better Care Reconciliation Act, the Senate postponed voting on it after the July 4 recess. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Vice President Mike Pence in a meeting on Tuesday that GOP members will continue discussions on the bill within the conference on their differences.
The party leadership postponed the vote this week because of its use of reconciliation, a budget procedure that would pass the bill on a simple majority vote. The GOP, however, is aware it could only afford to lose two votes but six Republican senators said they will not support the legislation in its present form, Time reported.
Although the repeal would cut the federal deficit by $321 billion according to the CBO report, it would also make 23 million lose their health insurance which did not sit well with some GOP senators. Johnson, one of the six renegade senators, cited the bill’s dishonesty in not revealing the doubling or tripling of premiums as his reason for his withdrawal of support for the bill.
White House meeting
Following the decision to postpone a vote on the legislation, President Donald Trump called a meeting of GOP senators to the White House for a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. McConnell said he is confident the party will get a result that is better than the status quo. He explained, “Legislation of this complexity almost always takes longer than anybody hopes,” The New York Daily News reported.
Collins attributed the lack of legislative and military experience of Trump to the president’s difficulty in having a productive relationship with Congress. Lee will support the bill if it would permit states and residents to opt out of the federal health care plan and try other options.
