Senate Republicans were moving ahead Monday night with a bill to repeal a key provision of Obamacare, believing they can get 51 votes,
The Hill reports.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced an amendment to a House-passed bill that would phase out Medicaid expansion over a two-year period in hopes of gaining the support of conservatives. The bill would deal with the individual mandate portion of Obamacare, which requires individuals and large companies to buy health care insurance.
"I think we’ve found a pretty good spot so I’m optimistic," Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn told the Hill. "We are going to do more, repeal more of ObamaCare."
The House bill has been opposed by Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Mike Lee because it allowed Medicaid expansion to continue. But moderates feared cutting Medicaid expansion immediately, so the two-year phase-out was reached as a compromise.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia was one of those moderate Republicans, and said she is happy with the compromise.
"It's a two-year transitional period to move to a replacement vehicle so we can come up with a better plan," she said.
The bill is expected to be introduced on Wednesday for debate and voted on Thursday.
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