This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee has skewered the Senate health care bill as it stands, fervently pledging to vote against the Republican legislation that looks to repeal Obamacare (which he says it ultimately does not do).

But in an 800-word essay posted on Lee's website Friday, the GOP senator for the first time spells out his objections to the plan and points to the one amendment that could shift his vote to a "yes."

"To win my vote, the Republican health care bill must create a little space for states and individuals to sidestep Washington's arrogant incompetence and see if they can do better," Lee wrote.

Despite his frustrations "about the process" — which Lee condemned as being too secretive — "and my disagreements with the substance" of the bill, the senator would support adding a provision that allows states and residents to opt out of the federal plan and experiment with different forms of insurance and coverage. More Democratic states, he said, could try single-payer systems while conservative states could bolster health savings accounts.

"My guess is different approaches will work for different people in different places — like everything else in life," Lee said.

As Senate leadership plans a Thursday vote, negotiating with Lee and at least four other GOP senators who oppose the measure will be critical in determining its passage. Without the support of at least 50 of the 52 Republican senators, the long-anticipated bill likely is doomed.

Lee, who was a member of the group supposedly tasked with writing the legislation, blasted the bill last week after he was left out of the drafting process. That's one of the smaller concerns he highlights in his essay.

The senator more staunchly condemns the measure for keeping too much of former President Barack Obama's landmark Affordable Care Act intact — "just with less spending on the poor to pay for corporate bailouts and tax cuts."

Meanwhile, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a key player in modifying the health care legislation, has praised the GOP plan, calling it "an important step in our effort to replace Obamacare with patient-centered reforms."

The Senate revision largely mirrors the House bill passed in early May with slashes to Medicaid and Planned Parenthood funding. In that iteration, about 23 million more Americans would be uninsured by 2026 than if Obamacare were to stay intact, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis.

Low- and middle-income individuals also would likely end up paying more for insurance under the plan.

Lee, a far-right conservative, said he attempted to compromise with more moderate Republicans on the rewrite. He originally called for a full repeal of Obamacare. Then he settled for a partial repeal. But when most of the regulations from the 2010 law went "largely untouched," he withdrew his support.

"I think right now — with President [Donald] Trump's shocking upset of the establishment still fresh in our minds — would be a good time for Congress to add a new ingredient to its legislative sausage: a dash of humility."

Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner