Sanders And Klobuchar To Debate Health Care With Graham And Cassidy On CNN

WASHINGTON, DC — Sens. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar will face off against the defenders of the Republicans' new health care bill in a CNN debate on Monday. They will debate Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, two of the architects of the Graham-Cassidy bill, which many see as the GOP's last chance to completely overhaul Obamacare after seven years of the party cheering for "repeal and replace."

The debate will be held on Sept. 25 at 9 pm. Eastern and televised live. CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host. You can watch the debate by tuning in to CNN or signing in with a login from your cable provider at go.cnn.com. CNN also lets viewers without a login watch a broadcast for a short period of time before the "preview" expires.

Graham, of South Carolina, and Cassidy, of Louisiana, became unlikely champions of the GOP repeal effort when their proposal emerged as the last bill standing before the Sept. 30 deadline, after which point Democrats will be able to filibuster any Republican health care bill. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Here's A Glimpse At The Latest GOP Health Care Bill, Graham-Cassidy

The bill would reduce the funding currently allocated through Obamacare and redistribute it across the states. Initial estimates project that overall, federal health spending would be cut by more than $200 billion by 2026, and 34 states would see reduced funding. It would completely tear down the federal infrastructure for health care marketplaces and encourage each state to design the system and regulations on its own, which could leave people with preexisting conditions facing higher costs for their care.

Many defenders of Obamacare thought the law was safe after all other GOP attempts at repeal failed. But in the last few weeks, the Graham-Cassidy bill unexpectedly picked up steam as the Sept. 30 deadline loomed. Now, Democrats and opponents to Republican health care ideas are scrambling to try to scuttle the bill.

The role of Sanders in the debate creates some tension and an easy opportunity for Graham and Cassidy. Though the Vermont Independent voted for Obamacare and has long defended it against its opponents, Sanders just this month rolled out his own single-payer plan as an alternative design for the American health care system.

A long-time proponent of the single-payer model, Sanders hasn't been shy about pointing out Obamacare's faults.

"This is exactly the debate Graham & Cassidy want to have," said Frank Thorp of NBC News, quoting a "Democratic source." "Sanders is looking out for himself rather than being a team player."

Josh Miller Lewis, a Sanders spokesman, contested this view in The Washington Post: "“If it’s a debate between guaranteeing health care to every single person as a right, or taking it away from 30 million Americans, Democrats will always win."

Klobuchar, of Minnesota, has not endorsed Sanders' single-payer bill.

The debate could be make-or-break for the success of the bill. Senate Republicans will have less than a week to pass the law after the debate, and if the discussion of health care sways public opinion meaningfully in either direction, it could make the difference between the life or death of Obamacare.

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Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images