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The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has been dubbed "Obamacare-lite" by some members of the party, who have criticised the plan for being too similar to Obamacare.
Key points:
- New plan won't penalise people for not having health insurance
- Employers would not be forced to provide healthcare for their staff
- One Republican said people should spend on healthcare, not iPhones
"It will not pass. Conservatives are not going to take it," Republican Senator Rand Paul said.
Other members within the party said it would leave low-income Americans vulnerable.
The Affordable Care Act — often called Obamacare — was hailed as a remarkable achievement by supporters of the former president when it passed in 2010.
It gave access to affordable health insurance to 20 million Americans, but also pushed up the insurance premiums of others.
A common criticism of Obamacare has been that people are not given the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions, and that it costs Washington too much.
For years Republicans have long campaigned to abolish it and now, with Donald Trump in the White House, they have their chance.
Republican congressman Kevin Brady, one of the architects of the replacement bill, said for "seven long years this failing law [Obamacare] has hurt more than helped."
"Families can't afford their premiums, patients can't visit doctor that they like, and fewer insurers are offering coverage options every day."
Under the new Republican plan Americans would no longer be penalised for not having health insurance, nor would employers be forced to provide it for their staff.
The replacement does keep two popular parts of Obamacare — people under 26 can stay on their parents' insurance policies, and insurers cannot deny coverage to people who have pre-existing conditions.
Poor Americans 'not protected'
Mr Brady said under the new plan the poor would not be overlooked
"We are going to help low and middle income Americans access affordable health care with a monthly tax credit that is immediately available," he said.
Speaking on CNN, a supporter of the plan, Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz, suggested low-income people would end up having to take more personal responsibility for their healthcare costs
"Americans have choices and they've got to make a choice," he said.
"Maybe instead of getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds on, maybe they should invest it in their own healthcare."
Four Republican senators have said that they do not think the new plan provides adequate protections for low-income Americans — and at least two of their votes are needed to get the new legislation passed.
Topics: health, health-insurance, health-policy, health-administration, donald-trump, obama-barack, united-states
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