WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican health care bill (all times local):
1:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump is pressuring divided Senate Republicans to pass their stalled health care bill in the next few weeks.
But the measure is coming under renewed attack from within the GOP, with a moderate senator calling for a bipartisan approach.
At the same time, a conservative senator says Republicans are “at impasse” and that party leaders are trying to “buy off” lawmakers’ votes.
Senators are returning to the Capitol after a weeklong July 4 recess that, if anything, saw GOP support erode for a bill fashioned by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The measure would erase much of President Barack Obama’s health care law. It would scale back coverage requirements, end its penalty on people not buying coverage, cut Medicaid and eliminate tax boosts on wealthier people.
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1 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says Senate Republicans remain at an impasse over a bill that would replace President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
The Kentucky Republican said Monday that he spoke with President Donald Trump this past weekend. He says he and his one-time rival for the GOP presidential nomination share a “conservative vision” of revamping health care.
Paul told reporters in his home state that if Trump becomes more forceful on the issue, he has enough public popularity to persuade Senate Republicans to “do the right thing.” The “right thing,” he says, is for Republicans to fulfill their promise to repeal Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Paul criticized what he called efforts to “buy off” support from reluctant Republicans with extra federal spending for health care.
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12:20 p.m.
Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins says it’s time for the GOP and Democrats to work together to fix the health care law.
In an interview Monday, the Maine lawmaker rejected a proposal from conservative Sen. Ted Cruz that would allow insurers to offer skimpier, stripped-down plans along with Obamacare policies. Collins said the plan would lead to unaffordable costs for individuals with pre-existing conditions and caps on coverage.
Collins said it’s time to move away from a Republican-only approach. She said Republicans and Democrats need to acknowledge the flaws in Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act that need to be fixed and the two parties should work together.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to produce a Republican bill that would muster the necessary votes.
But McConnell also said that if he is unable to get 50 votes for the GOP plan, he would try to shore up insurance markets, a legislative step that would involve Democrats.
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7:05 a.m.
President Donald Trump has a message for lawmakers returning this week from their July Fourth recess with another recess just three weeks away: Get health care done.
The president tweeted Monday, “I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to check vital signs on his GOP bill as senators trickle back to Washington from a July Fourth break that many spent listening to constituents vent about health care.
Thus far, there’s no sign he’s secured enough votes to pass a bill. He can only afford to lose two out of 52 Republican senators.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 22 million more people would become uninsured under Republican legislation.
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5 a.m.
Two moderate Republicans have indicated that the initial GOP bill to repeal and replace the nation’s health law is probably “dead” and President Donald Trump’s proposal to just repeal it appears to be a “non-starter.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana says, “We don’t know what the plan is. Clearly, the draft plan is dead.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says it may now be time for Republicans to come up with a new proposal with support from Democrats.
He says, “I think my view is it’s probably going to be dead.”
McCain adds that this doesn’t mean Democrats will control the bill if they have a say in it. He adds, “It means they can have amendments considered. And even when they lose, then they’re part of the process.”
