Unlike Most of Senate GOP, McCain Is a 'No' on Bill That Analysis Shows Would Kill Tens of Thousands by 2027

The Republican Party’s last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act was dealt a major blow Friday when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced that he “cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal,” which analysts have called the most “brutal and deadly” version of Trumpcare yet.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote before the end of next week.

Physicians and public health researchers Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein estimated in an analysis released Friday that, if passed, the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill could kill tens of thousands of people per year.

“The Graham-Cassidy bill—what we’re calling ‘The Undertaker Full Employment Act’—would cut health coverage by 14 million Americans in 2020, rising to at least 32 million in 2027,” Dr. Woolhandler said in a statement. “That means 18,200 extra deaths in the first year, climbing to 41,600 annually within a decade.”

Read McCain’s full statement:

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the estimated number of deaths that could result from the Graham-Cassidy legislation. It’s actually higher than indicated, but was not stated properly.