In the latest fight, unlike the July showdown, repeal advocates must overcome one “no” vote from the right: Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, who said the new bill would leave too much of the Affordable Care Act in place.
Keeping 90% of Obamacare is not ok and it’s not what we ran on. Conservatives should say no.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 18, 2017
“This bill keeps 90 percent of the spending of Obamacare and reshuffles it,’’ Mr. Paul said on Monday. “Really, when you look at how it reshuffles it, it does it just to take money from the Democrat states and give it to Republican states.’’
Ms. Murkowski said she was still considering her vote.
If the Senate does not vote by the end of next week, it will become nearly impossible to repeal the health law because the drive to kill the Affordable Care Act will lose the procedural protections that allow it to pass the Senate with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes that would otherwise be needed.
