Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul remains firmly in the “no” column on Senate Republicans’ latest attempt at a healthcare overhaul, but there are conflicting reports about the bill’s chances.
The Affordable Care Act replacement bill crafted by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham appeared to face long odds upon arrival, but has been picking up steam as the White House pushes for a last-ditch effort to undo Obama-era health reforms.
Lawmakers are looking to secure an elusive 50th vote to move the measure forward. While Democratic Coalition co-founder Scott Dworkintweeted Monday that Republicans might now have the votes to repeal Obamacare, a Washington Post story says the measure faces the same math that doomed previous repeal bills.
Echoing his position on past bills, Sen. Paul said the Graham-Cassidy measure keeps too much of Obamacare in place, calling it a “rebranded trillion dollar spending program” that funnels money to insurance companies. At a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday, Paul reiterated his concerns.
"I don't get it. Why do you guys want to give money to the middle man?" he asked colleagues. "In fact I said it the last time. I'm more with Bernie (Sanders) on this than I am with than I am with the members of my party (who) want to subsidize it. You want to buy people health care? Buy them health care. Don't give money to the intermediary, public money. Why would you give public money to a private company?"
Republican lawmakers also face a fast-approaching deadline, with their power to pass health care legislation through a party-line vote expiring September 30.
