Senator John McCain has come out against the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill and said he will not vote for the legislation seen as a last-ditch effort by the GOP to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," McCain said in a statement posted on his Senate website.
"I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried."
In July, McCain torpedoed a GOP skinny repeal of the ACA in a 51-49 defeat of the bill.
The Graham-Cassidy proposal is going to the floor of the Senate next week and must go for a vote prior by September 30 for it to have a chance of passing by simple majority vote under budget reconciliation.
No Democrats are expected to vote for the bill which is an amendment to a prior House healthcare bill.
Republicans need 50 votes and have a 52-seat majority in the Senate. Vice President Mike Pence could break a tie, but the GOP can lose only two votes to pass the bill. McCain's vote had been in question, as are the votes of Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted against a previous proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
The bill also lacks the support of conservative Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has said he would not be bullied into voting for it.
Collins said Friday she is leaning towards a 'no' vote on the bill, according to the Portland Press Herald.
McCain said in the statement that healthcare reform legislation should be a product of regular order of the Senate, including a mark-up of the legislation.
The bill will also lack a full score from the Congressional Budget Office, which said it would have a preliminary analysis of the bill early next week.
"I would consider supporting legislation similar to that offered by my friends Senators Graham and Cassidy were it the product of extensive hearings, debate and amendment," McCain said. "But that has not been the case. Instead, the specter of September 30th budget reconciliation deadline has hung over this entire process."
Another bipartisan effort by Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray aimed to stabilize the marketplace while giving states flexibility in expanded ACA waivers, but that proposal has been overshadowed by Graham-Cassidy.
"Senators Alexander and Murray have been negotiating in good faith to fix some of the problems with Obamacare," McCain said. "But I fear that the prospect of one last attempt at a strictly Republican bill has left the impression that their efforts cannot succeed. I hope they will resume their work should this last attempt at a partisan solution fail."
The Arizona Senator, who is suffering from brain cancer, said he hoped in the months ahead colleagues on both sides of the aisle could arrive at a compromise solution.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com