Critics of Senate health bill hope to sway GOP Sen. Cassidy

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No wonder Senate Republicans drafted their health care legislation in secret.

Moller said he wouldn't presume how Kennedy might vote, but noted the senator's public statements have been critical of Medicaid spending and supportive of efforts to scale back the program.

The four holdouts, among the Senate's most conservative members, said the plan failed to rein in the federal government's role, highlighting Republicans' struggle to craft legislation to revamp a sector that accounts for one-sixth of the world's largest economy.

Whereas various versions of the bill Democrats wrote in 2009 and 2010 went through committees, where Republicans could offer feedback and amendments, the Senate has held no hearings and no committee votes on the bill the Republicans are writing.

— Senate Republicans are aiming for a final vote next Thursday, before lawmakers leave town for the weeklong July 4th recess.

It uses a budget gimmick to comply with Senate rules against adding to the federal government's long-term debt.

The House bill would "save taxpayers money" - if they were already rich.

Second French journalist dies of Mosul mine blast injuries
Her producer, Nicolas Jaillard paid tribute to her in a Facebook post saying "We were expecting less bad news this week". Sophie Pommier, a French Embassy spokesperson, says Veronique Robert died in a Paris hospital on Saturday.

Trump later criticized the House bill privately as "mean" and this week called for a health plan "with heart". The House bill disregards the health care needs of low-income people. "It's going to be very good", the president said.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who faces a competitive re-election race in 2018, says he has "serious concerns about the bill's impact on the Nevadans who depend on Medicaid".

The Senate's bill - released this week - differs in key ways from the House-passed version.

"This is a bill created to strip away health care benefits and protections from Americans who need it most in order to give a tax break to the folks who need it least", Schumer said.

High-income earners would get substantial tax cuts on payroll and investment income. "She has met with and heard the concerns of many Mainers about their health care challenges, and she will continue to do so as she studies the impact of this legislation on ME and the nation".

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the Capitol after Republicans released their long-awaited bill to scuttle much of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017. However, the credits would require people to purchase a less comprehensive plan, and would not be available to as many low-income people, according to published reports.

Though the Senate GOP's bill repeals the individual mandate, the legislation maintains numerous ACA tax credits that have helped people buy insurance. But in practice, states could have the freedom to eliminate current coverage requirements for all sorts of essential benefits, from maternity care to mental health and substance abuse. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. That means people with pre-existing conditions in states that seek the flexibility - and you can bet Florida would be among the first in line - may find no coverage or coverage that is prohibitively expensive.

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