The House’s passage of legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare moves the issue to the Senate, where its future is far from certain.
GOP senators have said they will overhaul the House bill, and that legislation won’t reach the floor until it has 51 votes.
Here are the five key players to watch.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Alexander is the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension’s Committee. He’s also in a working group created to hash out a compromise among Republicans on healthcare.
The veteran senator, who left leadership in 2011 because he wanted to focus more on policy, has been working for weeks on a reform bill that could pass the Senate on a GOP vote through special budget rules that would prevent a Democratic filibuster.
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Collins, perhaps the most centrist GOP member of the Senate, says she won’t support a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood.
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Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas)
Cruz, like Paul, is a big opponent of ObamaCare and wants nothing more than to see it fully repealed.
He assembled the working group compromised of conservative and moderate members to hash out a compromise.
“We’re going to try to do it in the Senate and I hope we can get it done. My view is failure is not an option,” Cruz said in an interview with a Texas radio station this week.
“We’ve been promising the voters we’d repeal Obamacare for seven years, and I think if we fail to deliver on that I think the consequences would be catastrophic.”
Cruz has called for the Senate to repeal all of ObamaCare’s insurance regulations, which might not be allowed under the Senate’s budget rules preventing a Democratic filibuster.
It would also be a non-starter for many of his colleagues.
He’s also supported block granting Medicaid, which is an option in the House bill, as well as expanding health savings accounts and requiring continuous coverage.
Cruz was also critical of the House bill’s refundable tax credits.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky)
Rand Paul hates ObamaCare, but his vote could be a tough one to pick up for McConnell.
Paul wants to get rid of all of ObamaCare’s regulations, like guaranteed coverage for people with preexisting conditions.
His dislikes the House bill’s refundable tax credits to help people buy insurance, which he calls a “subsidy by another name.”
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Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)
Portman is from a state that expanded Medicaid, and his governor, John Kasich, is an ardent supporter of the expansion.
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NEW: Five senators to watch in looming healthcare fight https://t.co/AQxxlocGh9 pic.twitter.com/LVIHy7iYBx
— The Hill (@thehill) May 7, 2017
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