Dean Heller has joined the ranks of Republican senators who have come before him. In the eyes of some of his compatriots, though, that won't be seen as a good thing. The Nevada GOP senator has announced that he does not support the new health care bill set to be put forth in the chambers in the coming week, becoming the fifth member of his party to announce opposition to the measure. His resistance could deal a critical blow to the legislation.
Heller's reasons for opposition
Heller withdrew his support of the bill on Friday morning. He made the announcement during a joint press conference in Las Vegas with Brian Sandoval, his state's GOP governor.
He claimed that the new health care bill does not protect states like Nevada that chose to expand Medicaid in light of the Affordable Care Act. He claimed that it would be "very difficult" for him to join the rest of his Republican counterparts and switch his vote to an affirmative.
Heller cited that millions in the country and plenty of people in Nevada would lose health care under the new bill. In response, America First Policies is already preparing to take out ads against the Republican senator in his state. That seems unlikely to move him, however, as he would still have a year before the next elections to prove he's making the right decision. He will simply have to endure the forthcoming battle against his own party.
Health care bill in serious trouble
With Heller now out of the picture, five Republican senators have stated opposition to the draft of the new health care bill. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson have all come out against it. Susan Collins of Maine appears to have issues with it as well. Rob Portman, Lisa Murkowski, Shelley Moore Capito, and Bill Cassidy could all take issue with the bill along the same narrative lines that Heller does now.
The bill needs 50 votes to pass. The Republican Party can only afford to lose two votes if senators vote along party lines - right now, they have lost five and are in danger of potentially losing more. Heller's reason for backing out of accepting the deal could be applied to other senators. Even if Mitch McConnell does rally the votes, a compromise bill will likely be needed to rectify the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate. The GOP is getting closer to overhauling health care in the United States, but they may fall short of their goal once again.
