Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is trying to persuade Senate Republicans it is go-time for a healthcare bill – but he will need to convince Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"If we sit on our hands, families will continue to suffer," McConnell said Wednesday, The Hill reported.
"And if we let this opportunity to move beyond Obamacare pass us by, what other options will there be?"
McConnell is hoping to head off any attempt to block the bill from moving forward next week — but according to The Hill, Cruz will not say if he will move out of the way.
"Depends what's in the bill," Cruz said before a lunch meeting where lawmakers talked about the legislation, The Hill reported.
Cruz and conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, want an amendment that would allow insurance companies to sell any kind of health plan they want as long as they offer at least one that complies with federal regulations.
Critics say the amendment would lead healthier people to flock to cheaper plans, sending premiums for older and sicker people skyward, The Hill reported.
Despite the tough odds there will be 50 votes to move the bill along, one unnamed GOP Senator told The Hill there's a "more positive feeling" about the proposal — even though "no one stood up and said they changed their minds" to support for the bill.
The new bill is expected to be made public Thursday, but its prospects will depend on whether Cruz and Lee can be persuaded to modify their amendment so it could gather at least 50 votes on the floor, The Hill reported.
"We continue to have productive conversations," Cruz told the outlet.
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