Senate GOP's Plan To Repeal, Replace May Be In Trouble
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The Senate plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is in trouble after a group of conservative Senators said the plan doesn't go far enough in being fiscally conservative.
Some moderate Republicans worry it goes too far.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and three other GOP senators said the newly released Senate health care plan is dead on arrival unless they see some major changes. The four are sticking together to get changes such as fewer government subsidies designed to make health insurance more affordable.
"As we estimate the cost of the subsidies to buy insurance, we actually believe they may exceed, or at least equal, the subsidies that are under Obamacare," said Paul.
President Donald Trump will help lead talks to get the reluctant Republicans on board.
"Well they are also four good guys and they are four friends of mine – I think that they'll probably get there but we'll have to wait and see," said President Donald Trump while on 'Fox & Friends.'
The problem facing GOP leaders is that any changes that moves the bill further to the right has the potential to alienate moderate republicans.
"Obviously, I have a very different view than Sen. Cruz or Sen. Paul about the direction the bill should be heading in,' said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
Nevada Senator Dean Heller announced Friday he can't support the plan because it rolls back Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid and puts federal funding limits on the program.
"You have to protect Medicaid expansion states. That's what I want, make sure that we're taken care of here in the state of Nevada," said Sen. Heller (R-NV). "I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans."
Collins and some others are worried about the bill rolling back Obamacare's expansion of Medicare and putting limits on federal funding of the program.
"That could cause states to shrink eligibility, to cut people who really need health care from the program," said Collins.
Majority leader Mitch McConnell insists he wants a vote before the fourth of July recess, leaving GOP leaders one week to win over more votes.
CBS News learned "America First," a pro-Trump organization, has announced it will begin running television ads against Senator Dean Heller because of his opposition to the health care plan. Heller is up for re-election in 2018 and is considered one of the most vulnerable sitting Republican Senators.
No Democrat will support the plan which means Republicans can only afford to lose two Republican votes in the Senate or else the bill will fail.
