Susan Collins: Eight to Ten GOP Senators Have ‘Serious Concerns’ About Health Care Bill
TEETERING ON THE BRINK
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said on Sunday that eight to ten of her fellow GOP senators have “serious concerns” about the latest iteration of the upper chamber’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Collins, who has been one of the loudest Republican critics of the bill and the process by which it was crafted, said she is unsure whether the legislation will pass, and called on Republican leaders to return to regular order. “We should not be making fundamental changes in a vital safety net program that's been on the books for 50 years—the Medicaid program—without having a single hearing to evaluate what the consequences are going to be,” Collins said on CNN’s State of the Union. The Maine Republican is one of few Republicans who wants the Affordable Care Act to be fixed with input from Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that the Senate would “defer consideration” of the legislation until Sen. John McCain, who just had surgery, returns to Washington.
—Andrew Desiderio