US senate sets up health votes for chaotic ObamaCare debate

WASHINGTON: Senate Republicans have embarked on an unpredictable and potentially chaotic floor debate aimed at repealing Obamacare amid significant doubts that they can muster 50 votes to pass any kind of health bill.

GOP leaders will hold votes on a slew of different health bills to see how close they can get to passing something. The debate — which will be punctuated with skirmishes over obscure rules and parliamentary challenges — will culminate in an all-night "vote-a-rama" later this week that could feature dozens, or even hundreds, of amendment votes.

At the end of it, Republican leaders hope to be able to pass a health bill, even if it's just a slimmed-down Obamacare repeal that only scraps a handful of the law's most unpopular provisions.

"Everything's on the table," said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican leader. "It's whatever we can get out of the Senate and get to a conference" with the House to reach a compromise.

Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to begin the debate by the slimmest of margins, requiring Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote. A number of Republicans warned, even as they voted yes, that they weren't ready to back any of the current proposals.

Even Republican Senator John McCain, who made a dramatic return from his home in Arizona, where he was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, to vote to begin the debate, made clear that he's not on board with any final product.

"I will not vote for the bill as it is today. It's a shell of a bill right now. We all know that," he said in a fiery floor speech. "I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially for you to support it."