U.S. Senate Republican bill would slash Medicaid by 2036, complicating talks

FILE PHOTO: A girl is carried as healthcare activists with Planned Parenthood and the Center for American Progress protest in opposition to the Senate Republican healthcare bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., on June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate proposal to replace Obamacare would cut spending on government Medicaid for the poor by 35 percent come 2036, a non-partisan congressional research office said on Thursday, further complicating Republican efforts to forge a deal.

The Congressional Budget Office report, requested by Senate Democrats, provides a longer-term look at how the Republican plan would affect Medicaid spending as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell searches for a formula to win over the conservative and moderate elements of his Republican caucus.