10th GOP Senator Opposes Health Care Bill

The number of Republican senators to oppose the proposed health care bill has reached double digits.

The latest castaway is Sen. John Hoeven (R.-ND.), who said in a statement that he does “not support the Senate health care bill in its current form.” Hoeven’s office released the statement as a followup to a roundtable discussion at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine July 5 in which the senator first expressed his opposition of the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

Hoeven joins nine other Republican senators to withhold support of the bill, a list that includes:

• Dean Heller (NV)
• Jerry Moran (KS)
• Mike Lee (UT)
• Rand Paul (KY)
• Rob Portman (OH)
• Ron Johnson (WI)
• Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
• Susan Collins (ME)
• Ted Cruz (TX)

In his statement, Hoeven identified two keys to improving the efforts to reform health care. First, Hoeven would like to see the insurance market become more competitive so that consumers can have more options at more affordable prices. Second, Hoeven would like to see better coverage for low-income Americans, which is a contrast to the bill’s plan to slash funding for Medicaid.

Party Divide

The 10 Republican senators at odds with the bill are also at odds with one another. Some more conservative senators don’t believe the bill has pushed far enough to repeal and replace Obamacare and think the Better Care Reconciliation Act too closely resembles “Obamacare Lite.”

Meanwhile, more moderate Republican senators think the bill is too harsh, particularly in regards to making cuts to Medicaid.

Republicans control 52 of the 100 votes and assuming no Democratic senators will vote in favor, they will need at least 50 votes to pass the bill under a simple majority vote. With at least 10 GOP senators holding out, the repeal and replacement of Obamacare may prove more difficult than President Trump first thought. 

To learn more, read our article, What to Know About the Republican Health Care Bill. 

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Sources

Sen. John Hoeven: https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-holds-health-care-meetings-in-grand-forks

MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-some-the-right-see-the-gop-plan-obamacare-lite

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/06/politics/john-hoeven-health-care-bill-north-dakota-roundtable/index.html

RealClear Politics: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/10/25/trump_repealing_obamacare_is_going_to_be_so_easy.html

Christian Worstell is a health care and policy writer for MedicareSupplement.com. He has written hundreds of articles helping people better understand their Medicare coverage options.