Health care vote delay gives foes, supporters more time

[...] the conservative Americans for Prosperity was urging members to pressure GOP senators to strengthen a bill that the group's president, Tim Phillips, says doesn't go "anywhere near far enough" to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law.

Underscoring that, the AARP ads targeted five moderate Republicans from states that would be hit hard by the GOP bill's cuts in Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, disabled and nursing home patients.

Administration officials including Vice President Mike Pence have pressed Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, both Republican critics of the GOP's Medicaid cuts, in hopes of gaining an edge with Portman and Heller.

Because we miss him.

Two of the 52 GOP senators — Maine's Susan Collins and Kentucky's Rand Paul — have said they'll vote against even beginning debate on the legislation.

Since Democrats uniformly oppose the bill, it will lose if any remaining Republicans vote against it.

Besides the Medicaid cuts, moderate Republicans were unhappy with language letting insurers sell inexpensive policies with scant coverage, now generally forbidden under Obama's 2010 law.