Trump, administration press Republicans to back health bill
President
Earlier in the week, while flying to
"I'd say the only thing more difficult than peace between
Trump is waiting and eager to sign health legislation: "I will be at my desk, pen in hand!" he tweeted on Friday.
The reworked bill McConnell presented to fellow
But it was not clear whether the Republican leader has achieved the delicate balance he needs after an embarrassing setback last month when he abruptly canceled a vote in the face of widespread opposition to a bill he crafted largely in secret.
Moderate Sen.
That means McConnell cannot lose any other Republican senators. With
The showdown vote is set for next week, though McConnell could cancel again if he's short of support. He and other
"It's in the best shape it's been in so far," said Sen.
McConnell said the 172-page legislation is the senators' opportunity to make good on years of promises.
"This is our chance to bring about changes we've been talking about since Obamacare was forced on the American people," he said.
Many
"It could be the biggest political broken promise in many years," said conservative former Sen.
Throughout the day McConnell huddled in his office with holdouts, including
The lawmakers wanted details and numbers on how the bill would affect rural and Medicaid-dependent people in their states. All had opposed McConnell's earlier bill. This time, several exited their meetings saying they were undecided and needed more time to evaluate the legislation.
Like legislation earlier passed by the House after struggles of its own, the
The new bill contains language demanded by conservative Sen.
The retooled measure retains McConnell's plan to phase out the extra money 31 states have used to expand Medicaid under Obama's statute, and to tightly limit the overall program's future growth.
The rewritten package would add
Still, the nation's largest doctors' group said the plan falls short on coverage and access, particularly for low-income people on Medicaid. In a statement Friday, the
The AMA said
The group is calling for bipartisan cooperation, starting with action to shore up shaky insurance markets.
Guns, churches and immigrants: What’s in that spending bill?
Remarks by the Vice President at the National Governors Association
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News