McCain torpedoes Republicans’ Obamacare repeal plan again
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Senator John McCain has said he cannot support his fellow Republicans’ latest effort to repeal Obamacare, dealing it a potentially fatal blow.
The Arizona senator, who is battling brain cancer, said he “cannot in good conscience” vote for the new plan, which President Donald Trump backs.
Mr McCain said it was wrong to pass such far-reaching legislation without input from both main parties.
It is the second time he has thwarted his party leadership on the issue.
Republicans need 50 votes in a 100-seat chamber they control 52-48 to succeed.
But Mr McCain’s objection may doom conservatives’ seven-year campaign to erase Democratic former President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement.
In a statement on Friday, Mr McCain said such a bill requires extensive hearings, debate and amendment.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionMr McCain’s “no” vote in July scuppered the last Republican bid to repeal Obamacare
“That is the only way we might achieve bipartisan consensus on lasting reform,” he wrote, “without which a policy that affects one-fifth of our economy and every single American family will be subject to reversal with every change of administration and congressional majority.”
One other Republican senator – Rand Paul – also opposes their party’s latest bill.
At least five others are undecided: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, Rob Portman and Jerry Moran.
US Vice-President Mike Pence said on Thursday the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill was their “last best chance” to repeal Obamacare.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption’Trump not thinking about the little people’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was planning to bring the legislation to a vote next week, but it is not clear now if that will go ahead.
Republicans are still reeling from the collapse in July of their efforts to secure Senate passage of previous legislation to repeal Obamacare.
A dramatic late-night ‘no’ vote from Mr McCain sunk that bill, too.
According to a analysis released on Friday, if the Graham-Cassidy bill were to pass 32 million fewer Americans would have health insurance by 2027.
The non-partisan Brookings Institution said their findings “likely understates the reductions in insurance coverage”.
The new bill, drafted by senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, would give states money in block grants to run their own healthcare programmes.
But critics says that when left to the states, the money going into the Medicaid programme for people on low incomes would diminish.
