On Thursday, a CNN reporter asked Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) for details about his negotiations with Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over the Senate's Health Care Bill. Sen. Heller told the reporter that he wasn't going to tell them anything saying that he would not be negotiating with the press about what is best for the state he represents. The senator is one of the nine Republicans who oppose the bill which is preventing McConnell from getting the votes he needs to pass it. Much like the details of negotiations the Nevada senator didn't want to reveal, McConnell and twelve other senate Republicans had been working on the new bill in secret since it was passed in the House.

Pressure to pass Senate bill

When the bill was passed in the House, it was known as the American Health Care Act (AHC). It was renamed in the Senate as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) which Republicans intend to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with, otherwise known as Obamacare. This is part of a repeal and replace effort Republicans have been wanting to do for six years.

Initially, House Republicans tried to push their version of the bill through the House of Representatives in March but they were unable to get the votes. At the time, House Speaker Paul Ryan declared that Obamacare was the "law of the land" wanting to move on to other legislation. But President Trump pressured them to try it again using a more unconventional tactic, to simply pass it with no exception even if it made no sense and without having to be confined to a score by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Sen. Heller's political challenges

The Senate's version of the bill "hit the wall" again with Republican opposition, but it would be Sen. Heller who became the target of the Trump White House in a million dollar attack ad for his opposition. Sen. Thune (R-SD) was on the PBS Newshour where he was asked about the attack against one of their own and agreed with Mitch McConnell's view that it was "stupid." It was reported that McConnell spoke with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus about the ad and that the administration had backed down.

Sen. Heller was also asked about the ad as he apparently said that he had spoken to the President directly but also refused to give any details. His response was that he was not going to reveal a private discussion he had with the President. The most he would say about his view of the BCRA was that if it wasn't going to help the people of Nevada then he would not be voting for it.

The issue is about Medicaid which they enjoy the expansion of in his state which the BCRA will end up cutting by 2026. Sen. Heller's term is due to end in 2018 and despite the ideology to pass the Senate bill, he could face a challenge by three Democrats running for his seat.
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