The GOP’s health care bill has been in the works for months, but has been largely stalled due to Democratic opposition.
The Senate is set to vote on a bill this week that would roll back some of the Affordable Care Act’s major regulations and provisions.
And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says he expects to have a final bill by the end of the month.
“It is not a done deal,” Schumer said Wednesday on MSNBC.
“It is still on the table.”
Schumer’s comments come as the Senate prepares to vote this week on the Democratic bill.
The legislation would provide health insurance coverage to roughly 26 million people who would lose their current health care coverage.
The bill would also allow insurers to charge older Americans more than younger people and impose a cap on the federal premium tax credit, which the House of Representatives passed earlier this month.
The White House has repeatedly said the GOP health bill is not close to being enacted, but the administration’s position has been that the bill will eventually become law.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the Senate health bill “is a very important piece of the larger puzzle” of addressing the country’s health problems.
“We are moving forward and making progress, but there are still some big challenges to be solved,” Sanders said.
“The Senate bill is a very, very important part of that puzzle.
The House version is not, and it will not be, the final bill.”
Sanders also said the bill would provide “better choices” for patients, but did not specify what those choices would be.
A White House official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the administration is still looking into how much money would be available for Medicare and Medicaid.
“The House has already provided over $400 billion in health care spending and the Senate has already delivered over $300 billion,” the official said.
Sanders’ comments come after Republicans in the House have pushed back on the Senate’s proposal.
The measure has faced fierce opposition from Democrats, including President Donald Trump, who said in an interview with CBS News last month that Democrats had not “done their homework” and should stop talking about health care.
“And then tell me, ‘What about Medicare?’ “
“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D, Calif., and other Democrats have argued that the Republican bill would cause a spike in premiums for people with preexisting conditions. “
They also say that millions of people would lose coverage and that the Senate bill would not offer more options for consumers. “
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D, Calif., and other Democrats have argued that the Republican bill would cause a spike in premiums for people with preexisting conditions.
They also say that millions of people would lose coverage and that the Senate bill would not offer more options for consumers.
Republicans have said that the legislation would offer coverage to everyone, including the millions of Americans who would be hit hardest by the Senate GOP plan.
