Obamacare Repeal Is on Life Support. These 5 Senators Could Decide Its Fate

Once again, Congress is facing a looming vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act that will be decided by a handful of key Republicans. As the Senate decides on the Graham-Cassidy bill this week, just three Republican senators would be enough to kill the bill’s chances, and doom GOP’s best chance to overturn the bill on a simple majority vote before a Sept. 30 deadline. With several Republicans expressing concern and even opposition to the bill, its future looks uncertain. On Monday, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana put forward a revised version in an attempt to sway some holdouts. According to analyses of the bill from multiple media outlets, the revised bill would give more funding to Alaska, Kentucky, Maine and Arizona, home states of some of the key votes. Here are five senators to watch as the debate unfolds this week: John McCain In late July, the Arizona Republican joined Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in voting against an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Last week, McCain released a statement saying he could not vote in favor of Graham-Cassidy — not because he necessarily disagrees with the contents of the proposal, but because of the process used to write it. “I would consider supporting legislation similar to that offered by my friends Senators Graham and Cassidy were it the product of extensive hearings, debate and amendment,” McCain said in a statement. “...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Affordable Care Act Congress Health Care Obamacare onetime Source Type: news