On Monday night, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) came out against the Senate healthcare bill, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) — a move that will imperil the bill’s chances of passing through the upper chamber.
Sens. Mike Lee and Jerry Moran join Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME), who also oppose the BCRA in its current form. Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Jerry Moran argue that the bill does not do enough to repeal Obamacare, while Susan Collins remains worried about the bill’s rollback of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) previously delayed this week’s vote on the BCRA because Sen. John McCain was in convalescence after he had a blood clot removed above his left eye.
Senator Lee said:
After conferring with trusted experts regarding the latest version of the Consumer Freedom Amendment, I have decided I cannot support the current version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act. In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations.
Republicans maintain a slim majority in the Senate, so McConnell can only afford to lose two senators and then have Vice President Mike Pence break the tie. At the moment, McConnell cannot pass the Senate healthcare bill in its current form.