Sen. Rand Paul said Friday that he talked with President Donald Trump earlier and that "he is much more open to negotiation" on the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
"Conservatives across the land do not like [House Speaker] Paul Ryan's proposal because it is Obamacare-lite," the Kentucky legislator told Eric Bolling on Fox News. "It keeps the subsidies, keeps the taxes, keeps the mandate — and it has an insurance company bailout in it.
"We don't like it. We never have liked Obamacare. Obamacare is a disaster.
"The only thing that we are united on is repealing Obamacare," Paul said. "If Obamacare-lite is a replacement, conservatives are not going to accept it."
Paul said he and Trump talked by telephone — and the senator introduced a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the Senate on Tuesday. The GOP plan was announced late Monday.
He called for Obamacare's immediate repeal, but along with a plan to replace the healthcare law that brings together the many proposals floating among Republicans.
"Right now, my fear is if you pass the Obamacare-lite proposal, the individual price of insurance premiums is going to continue to skyrocket," he told Bolling. "That is my fear.
"I don't want any part of Obamacare, so I'm not going to vote for Obamacare-lite. It still allows the prices to continue to rise."