Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has declared that the Republican senators' healthcare bill – just unveiled to Congress – is 'even worse' than the House of Representatives' version.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pressing full-steam ahead for a vote next week.
Democrats have already accused Republicans of attempting to pass the healthcare measure, meant to repeal and replace Obamacare, “in the dark of the night” without allowing enough time for debate or to make changes, even though Mr McConnell has insisted that senators will have plenty of time to read and amend the bill.
Republicans mainly from the Senate finance and health committees drafted the bill behind closed doors, drawing harsh criticism from Democrats.
Mr McConnell is using a process known as reconciliation to try to pass the measure, meaning he only needs 51 votes in support of the legislation instead of the normal 60.
With only a majority of 52 senators, Mr McConnell can only afford to lose two Republican votes on the bill. This may be difficult in the upper chamber, where different members of the party are divided on whether Medicaid – a healthcare programme for the poor – should be protected or trimmed down. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence would be the deciding vote.
A draft circulating on Wednesday showed that the Senate legislation would be similar to the House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act, which narrowly passed the lower chamber of Congress last month.
Democrats have criticised the House’s heathcare bill, which the Congressional Budget Office has estimated would kick 23 million people off their insurance by 2026. Meanwhile, Republicans have called Obamacare – officially known as the Affordable Care Act – “unsustainable”, citing skyrocketing premiums and the unstable health insurance marketplaces created by the law.
The Senate bill will make major changes to the US’s healthcare system, drastically scale back government spending on Medicaid, and terminate the ACA’s taxes on the rich and health insurers. However, the plan would maintain Obamacare’s subsidies to help people afford individual coverage.
