At least ten senators released statements last month saying they couldn’t support the first version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, but only Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have said they will not support the new bill. The others say they are withholding judgment until they can fully digest the legislation.
But some are already starting to soften their opposition. And discussions are ongoing between leadership and those who didn’t get what they wanted in the revisions, with only a few days of bargaining time left before the bill is expected to be brought to the floor on Tuesday or Wednesday.
A look at the details of the new bill shows why some of that opposition may fall away.
To help secure the support of Alaska senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, whose rural state has a high Medicaid population and exorbitant health care costs,
a provision in the revised bill gives additional money to help low income people afford health insurance in states where the population falls below a certain threshold.
Only Alaska meets the requirements contained in the bill, leading Bloomberg news to give it the moniker, "Polar Payoff." In addition, Alaska was given a rare exemption to waive some Affordable Care Act requirements by HHS just days ago.
Sullivan’s spokesman, Mike Anderson, said the senator was “still reviewing (the) latest draft.”
Murkowski’s spokeswoman, Karina Peterson, was supportive of the provision, saying “Murkowski has been working to make sure high-cost states are addressed and have a path forward, which is what this provision clearly does.” SOURCE: NBCNEWS
WASHINGTON — Senate leaders are just one Republican "no" vote away from seeing their health care bill fail for a second time, and they are counting on provisions already added to the legislation — as well as some new efforts aimed at benefiting individual members — to hold a coalition of 50 votes together.
The GOP senators most likely to defect from the bill are those who wouldn't support the original version for various reasons. Efforts to get them on board began shortly after leadership tabled the bill two weeks ago and even more bartering has been underway since the newest version was unveiled Thursday.
Pence Advocates for Senate Health Bill at Governors Meeting