Sen. John Thune on Thursday praised the chamber's revised healthcare plan, saying that it "repeals the core of Obamacare."
"It repeals the individual mandate, which requires people to buy insurance products that they don't want and can't afford," the South Dakota chairman of the Senate Republican Conference told Ana Cabrera on CNN. "It repeals the employer mandate.
"It repeals many of the regulations — and it repeals most of the taxes.
"The taxes that affect consumers. The taxes that get passed on that lead to higher insurance costs and higher healthcare costs," Thune said.
Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, have already said that they cannot support the revised bill, released by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
In addition, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana introduced an amendment that would shift much of current federal funding for Obamacare insurance and future funding directly to states.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also proposed an amendment that would allow insurers to offer cheap, basic plans with those that meet the more comprehensive coverage requirements of Obamacare.
"I like what he's trying to do," Thune said, referring to the Cruz effort. "On the merits, on the surface, it makes a lot of sense.
"But, obviously, you have to look at the consequences," he added. "You've got to look at the impacts, how does that affect stability of the broader insurance pool, what does that do to the marketplace."
Thune said that Republican leaders hoped to vote on the legislation next week and were expecting a score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The agency estimated last month that the Senate's original version would leave 22 million more Americans uninsured in 2026 than under Obamacare.
"The CBO will be looking at the legislation with the Cruz amendment," he told Cabrera. "There are going to be a lot of folks looking at this — and the overall bill will be scored by the CBO before we vote, yes."
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