Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., joked Wednesday that constructing a new GOP healthcare bill by Friday would happen "if pigs fly," NBC News reports.
Senate staff, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said they would work up a new bill to shore up support for the legislation after a Congressional Budget Office analysis dealt it a major blow when it said 22 million more Americans would be left uninsured in 2026 than under former President Barack Obama's healthcare law.
The CBO score, which also said out-of-pocket costs for many of those buying policies on the Affordable Care Act would rise, forced Senate leaders to put off a vote on the bill until after the July 4 recess amid growing opposition from Republican members.
Capitol Hill aides and lobbyists told The Washington Post that McConnell was aiming to get a reworked bill to the CBO by Friday in order to get a new score in up to two weeks.
Senators who oppose the bill include Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, and West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who said they had concerns about the affect its Medicaid policies would have on the opioid epidemics in their states.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.