Sen. Collins says she can't support House health care plan in current form

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Thursday that she opposes the House Republican health care bill being debated in Congress. Though the moderate Republican previously has raised concerns about the bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, she had not previously said she was against it.

“This is not a bill I could support in its current form,” Collins told the Press Herald in a phone interview. “It really misses the mark.”

Collins explained that nonpartisan sources such as the Congressional Budget Office have estimated that millions would lose coverage. She would prefer a system that improves the ACA and gives more people health insurance. Collins hopes major changes will be made to the bill so she could support it, but it’s not acceptable as is.

“This bill doesn’t come close to achieving the goal of allowing low-income seniors to purchase health insurance,” Collins said. Seniors don’t become eligible for Medicare until age 65. “We don’t want to in any way sacrifice coverage for people who need it the most.”

Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/16/sen-susan-collins-says-she-cant-support-house-aca-replacement-in-current-form/