He said the changes he is seeking to the bill would go in the opposite direction of those sought by other current "no" votes - conservative hard-liners including Texas Sen.
Nevada Republican Dean Heller didn't mince words about the GOP's new health care bill in the Senate: "It's going to be very hard to get me to a yes".
In his remarks, Trump said that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has been "wreaking havoc" on the nation's healthcare system, and that "millions more" would be hurt by its "deepening death spiral".
As of today, five Republican senators oppose the senate's bill.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, deeming his fight a matter of "life and death", vowed Friday "to use every single ounce of energy that I have" to defeat the Republican health care bill to repeal Obamacare.
GOP Senate leaders can only lose two members of their 52-senator caucus in support of the bill in order for it to pass. Heller said he spoke with Senate Republican leaders and Vice President Mike Pence on Friday morning.
"We made a lot of progress".
Five GOP senators now oppose health bill _ enough to sink it
However, it was notable that Heller would condemn the Senate proposal in such strong terms and not just for its Medicaid cuts. Passage would move President Donald Trump and the GOP closer to one of their marquee pledges - erasing Obama's 2010 statute.
Mr Obama wrote that "health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did".
It is now up to us to let our Senators know that this bill is unacceptable.
The four are sticking together to get changes, such as fewer government subsidies created to make health insurance more affordable.
The federal government's share of funding for Medicaid, which is jointly run with individual states, would fall over the course of seven years to end up at around 57 percent of the cost of that program, which offers health coverage to the poor.
Heller and Sandoval said they believe that Obamacare has problems, but raised concerns with the Senate plan's Medicaid provisions. Three of them said they anxious it does not go far enough in repealing the ACA, known as Obamacare.
A majority of GOP senators told the publication that they're not sure where they stand while four, including Sen. Moderates are also wary of the legislation, which would make deep cuts to Medicaid and raise premiums for the poor, elderly, and sick, while benefiting people who are younger and wealthier. The legislation would phase out federal funding for Medicaid expansion - now covering about 11 million people in 31 states - beginning in 2020, and shift more of those costs back to states.
The 142-page draft, capping seven years of GOP promises to repeal Barack Obama's signature health care legislation, was released Thursday. Paul said, "My hope is not to defeat the bill".
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