Sen. Ted Cruz, 3 Other Prominent Republicans Can't Endorse GOP Health Care Reboot (Video)

AUSTIN, TX — Four prominent Republican U.S. senators — including former presidential candidate Ted Cruz — announced Thursday they won't vote for their party's reboot of the health care bill that was unveiled earlier after being tweaked behind closed doors in the past few days.

For seven years, Republicans have unsuccessfully sought to repeal the signature piece of legislation of President Barack Obama, seizing now on their best chance of doing it with the GOP majority in Congress and a president who identifies as Republican.

But their efforts haven't been universally embraced. Taking a peek at the draft earlier this week, President Donald Trump labeled the GOP iteration as "mean" in its present form. Republican lawmakers have sidestepped the time-honored tradition of staging town halls with constituents given the public outcry over efforts at decimating health care.

And now, four prominent Republicans have voiced their opposition as well.

In addition to Cruz, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah said in a statement they are "...not ready to vote for this bill." The statement deals another blow to Republican lawmakers champing at the bit to gut the Obama-crafted health care law.

One of the most prominent changes in the Senate's version of the bill centers on the substantial cuts in Medicaid, with that money then funneled to pay for huge tax cuts for the wealthy. That change alone (not too dissimilar from the House version of the bill) has sparked public outcry given widespread reliance on the entitlement — including roughly 60 percent of seniors using Medicare to help pay for their nursing care.

Others expressed concern the GOP-revamped bill may end coverage to those with preexisting conditions.

"Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor," the senators wrote in a statement. "There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs."

The letter isn't mere words but a bellwether the Republican leadership had feared. Despite the GOP majority in Congress, Republicans can only afford to lose two members of their 52-senator caucus to pass the proposed alternative to what's popularly (or pejoratively to Republican lawmakers) known as Obamacare. In a 50-50 deadlock, Vice President Mike Pence would provide the tie-breaking vote.

"As currently drafted, this bill draft does not do nearly enough to lower premiums," Cruz said in a separate statement to CNN. "That should be the central issue for Republicans — repealing Obamacare and making healthcare more affordable. Because of this, I cannot support it as currently drafted, and I do not believe it has the votes to pass the Senate."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled the GOP alternative to Obamacare on Thursday.

"We agreed on the need to free Americans from Obamacare's mandates so Americans are no longer forced to buy insurance they don't need or can't afford," McConnell said. "We'll repeal the employer mandate so Americans no longer see their hours or take home pay cut because of it."

The four senators not enamored with their fellow party members' efforts toward a revamp aren't the only ones feeling underwhelmed. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi expressed disappointment the new bill still resembles Obamacare in many of its aspects, as he voiced to CNN.

"Clearly a lot of us would like to do more," Wicker said. "We're dealing with reality and getting to 50."

In a bid to advance the bill quickly, members of Congress have been given one week to read the bill before voting on it.

>>> Photo credit: Kathrin Tausch on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons