Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's "leaning against" a Republican proposal to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, despite new pressure from her state's GOP governor.
Gov. Paul LePage joined Vice President Mike Pence in Washington Friday. LePage says the bill represents the "best chance" to reform the current system and to return decision-making about funding health care to the states.
LePage cites a study from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that says Maine would gain 44 percent more in funding by 2026 under the proposal by Republican Sens. Lindsay Graham and Bill Cassidy. The same analysis shows other states would lose ground.
In Maine, Collins says there are lots of numbers floating around, and she's awaiting an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office before she makes a final decision.
Her announcement came a few hours before Arizona Sen. John McCain said he wouldn't vote for the latest version of the GOP health care plan, becoming the third Republican again to doom the bill. Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she wasn't ready to support the bill on Wednesday.
The Graham-Cassidy bill is the latest last-ditch effort by Republicans to repeal and replace the legislation commonly known as Obamacare amid pressure from President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
