Two Republican senators claim Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized their plan for an Obamacare replacement before he was given a chance to read it, the Washington Examiner reports.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told CNN Tuesday that Schumer is trying to "keep his party in line," and "enforce partisanship," by slamming their proposal.
"We're not about partisanship," Cassidy said.
The two, along with another pair of GOP senators, submitted a bill allowing for states to choose whether to keep Obamacare exchanges if they work for them, or to create their own healthcare plan. The bill would also allow children coverage on their parents' healthcare plans until they are 26, as well as requiring that insurance companies provide healthcare even to those with pre-existing conditions.
"All of those consumer protections are in place, regardless of what plan you choose," Collins said.
"While I sympathize with my two colleagues whom I respect a great deal and who understand that repeal without replace would be devastating for our country, their proposal would create chaos, not affordable care, for millions of Americans," Schumer said Monday from the Senate floor.
"Millions of Americans would be kicked off their plans, out-of-pocket costs and deductibles for consumers would skyrocket, employer-based coverage for working families would be disrupted, and protections for people with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer, would be gutted. All while the wealthiest few get a tax cut," Schumer said later, according to USA Today. "It is nearly impossible to keep the benefits of the Affordable Care Act without keeping the whole thing."
When presenting the bill Monday, Collins admitted that the plan "is not perfect," but vowed to work with her colleagues to improve the measure.
"It is still a work in progress," she said, CNN reported. "I expect that we will get many ideas from my colleagues for further refinements and we are completely open to that," Collins said. "But if we do not start putting specific legislation on the table that can be debated, refined, amended and enacted, then we will fail the American people."
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