Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the healthcare bill he has been working on with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will go beyond the bill passed by the House, which has been criticized for its failure to address the needs of people with preexisting conditions, The Washington Times reported Sunday.
"The Senate product, I'm hopeful, will be more likely to address their needs," Cassidy told "Fox News Sunday."
A Senate panel appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been meeting behind closed doors to discuss changes to the House bill. The Congressional Budget Office predicted the House bill would cause 23 million people to lose insurance during the next decade, but would also lower premiums to healthy individuals.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said Democrats would be willing to negotiate changes to Obamacare so long as repealing the law was not considered and acknowledged problems with it needed to be addressed.
"I voted for it and it needs to be repaired," Durbin told Fox.
However, conservative Republicans criticized the idea of making changes to Obamacare, stating they campaigned on repealing the law altogether.
The Cassidy-Collins plan would leave it up to the states to opt in to Obamacare or choose another option proposed in their bill.
"A conservative thinks that power should return to individuals and the states," Cassidy said. "If a blue state wishes to do a blue thing, God bless them."
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