Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a fierce opponent of the Senate healthcare bill, reportedly said she will kill the legislation if it comes down to her.
“I only see it through the lens of a vulnerable population who needs help, who I care about very deeply,” she said during an interview with Politico that was published Sunday. “So that gives me strength. If I have to be that one person, I will be it.”
Capito, who represents a state that President Trump won by large margins, reportedly expressed concern about the bill’s impact on Medicaid recipients, especially those afflicted by the opioid crisis.
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The West Virginia lawmaker also pointed to fears of lost coverage that could occur in her home state, the newspaper reported.
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, 22 million more people would lose their health insurance coverage over the next 10 years under the Senate GOP’s bill than if ObamaCare remained in place.
The Mountain State has also been hit particularly hard by the opioid epidemic.
In 2015, West Virginia had the highest rate of fatal drug overdoses in the nation.
Capito’s willingness to torpedo the GOP’s bill that repeals and replaces key provisions of ObamaCare comes even as several of her Republican colleagues have expressed their opposition or reservations about the bill in its current form.
Senate GOP leadership is looking to push the bill to a vote following the July Fourth recess.
While Republicans enjoy majority power in the upper chamber with 52 seats, the party can only afford two defections to pass the bill with Vice President Pence likely casting a tie-breaking vote.