3 GOP senators break with leaders over addressing insurance companies' denial of medical care

Three Republican senators broke with the rest of the Senate GOP conference Wednesday night to vote in support of an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to address insurance companies delaying or denying necessary medical care.

Vulnerable Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined conservative Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in voting with Democrats to support the amendment to create a point of order against a budget reconciliation bill that fails to address insurance companies' delay or denial of medical care.

Ossoff moved to waive the applicable sections of the 1974 Budget Act to strike down the point-of-order objection but it fell 11 votes short of success. He needed 60 votes to waive the budget rules.

"Think of the retired Georgia teacher who had paid over $100,000 into a cancer policy only to be diagnosed with cancer and have her insurance claims denied," Ossoff said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote.

"Think of the Monroe County mother of three diagnosed with cancer who needed a liver transplant, was told she had six to 12 months to live and had to fight her insurance company because her claim was denied," he said.

Ossoff said his amendment would ensure that the budget reconciliation bill Republicans plan to advance to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol would also prevent insurance companies from denying or delaying medically necessary health care.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) raised a point-of-order objection to Ossoff's amendment.

"Adopting this amendment would jeopardize the privilege of the budget resolution and our ability to use reconciliation to reopen the Department of Homeland Security," he said.

Ossoff moved to waive the applicable sections of the 1974 Budget Act to strike down the point-of-order objection but it fell one vote short of success.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) missed the votes Wednesday due to health and personal issues.

Senate Republicans scheduled votes late into the night Wednesday on a budget resolution they hope to pass to lay the procedural groundwork for a budget reconciliation package that could pass the upper chamber with a simple-majority vote and avoid a Democratic filibuster.

Republicans want to use the budget reconciliation vehicle to pass 3 1/2 years of funding for ICE and Border Patrol. GOP aides estimate that package, which is expected to reach the Senate floor next month, will cost between $70 billion and $80 billion.