Two Republican senators have added their names to the list of GOP lawmakers opposing the latest version of the bill to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. That means the bill will fall short of the 50 votes needed to pass.

Late on July 17, Sen. Mike Lee (UT) and Sen. Jerry Moran (KS) issued separate statements explaining why they could not support the Better Care Reconciliation Act. While a number of Republican senators have been on the fence or raised questions about the bill, only Rand Paul (KY) and Maine's Susan Collins had openly opposed it.

Lee, a hardline conservative who had pushed for repeal of all taxes associated with the 2010 healthcare overhaul said the decision to retain some of those taxes was key to his decision. He also said the BCRA "doesn't go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations."

Moran criticized the "closed-door process" that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had used to create the BCRA outside the usual committee process.

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"We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy," explained Moran. "Furthermore, if we leave the federal government in control of everyday healthcare decisions, it is more likely that our healthcare system will devolve into a single-payer system, which would require a massive federal spending increase. We must now start fresh with an open legislative process to develop innovative solutions that provide greater personal choice, protections for pre-existing conditions, increased access and lower overall costs for Kansans."

The BCRA is not a traditional piece of legislation; rather, it is a budget resolution, which limits lawmakers' ability to make longstanding policy changes, but also would allow the GOP to pass the bill with only 50 votes, as opposed to the 60 votes regularly needed to break an opposition filibuster.

However, with a majority of only 52 in the 100-member chamber, the GOP could not afford for any more than two party members to come out against the BCRA. With four Republican senators now opposing the bill, the BCRA would not pass.

Despite the unclear picture on the votes, McConnell had been pushing for a floor vote on the BCRA. That effort hit a huge speed bump after the recent emergency surgery that waylaid Sen. John McCain of Arizona, leading McConnell to delay a vote until after McCain recovered and returned to work in D.C.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded on Twitter to news of the apparent collapse — at least for the time-being — of the BCRA.

"This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable," said Schumer.

In a separate statement, he suggested that "Republicans should start from scratch and work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long term stability to the markets and improves our health care system."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), who has introduced separate repeal/replace legislation that he believes stands a better chance of passing, needed multiple Tweets to make the case for his bill: