Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he’s worried the latest attempt to repeal ObamaCare might pass, and the unintended consequences could be severe.
“There’s a big groundswell of people pushing for this,” Paul told Reporters on Monday. “Two weeks ago, I’d have said zero [chance it’ll pass], but now I’m worried.”
Paul has called the bill from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) “Obamacare lite” and said he will not support it.
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“This does not look, smell or even sound like repeal,” Paul said. “I’m kind of surprised this has been resurrected because I don’t think it has been fully thought through.”
Paul voted in favor of the failed “skinny” ObamaCare repeal bill over the summer only after Senate leadership allowed a vote on an amendment that would have repealed the law in full.
“We already got what they considered to be the best repeal, so I don’t know that getting a vote on that would change my mind,” Paul said.
The Graham-Cassidy bill seeks to give more power to states by converting money currently spent on ObamaCare’s subsidies and Medicaid expansion into a block grant to states.
Paul said the bill exists “mostly to take money from four Democratic states and redistribute it to Republican states.”
The last-ditch effort by Senate Republicans seems to be gaining steam, suggesting lawmakers could face another vote on ending the former president’s signature law later this month.
If the bill were to come to the floor, Senate leaders would likely need to win over two of the three Republicans who voted “no” on the “skinny” bill — Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine) or John McCain (R-Ariz.).