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Three crucial Republican senators said Tuesday they will vote for a procedural motion in Republicans' push to repeal Obamacare, a boost to the GOP effort in what is expected to be a tight vote.

The support from Sens. Rand Paul, Dean Heller and Shelley Moore Capito makes passing the motion to proceed later Tuesday a much more realistic goal. All three opposed previous versions of a repeal or replacement plan.

Republicans can only lose two votes and still approve the procedural motion. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is a firm "no" on the motion, while some other Republicans remain undecided.

Paul, the conservative from Kentucky who has opposed some iterations of the Republican Obamacare replacement plan, has backed a 2015 bill that repeals parts of the landmark health-care law. Congress approved that plan knowing that then-President Barack Obama would veto it.

In tweets, Paul said he will support any and all measures "that are clean repeal." He highlighted a plan that repeals "mandates and taxes" without "new spending and bailouts."

Heller, the senator from Nevada, vehemently opposed a previous Obamacare replacement plan. He said in a statement he would vote "to move forward and give us a chance to address the unworkable aspects of the law that have left many Nevadans particularly those living in rural areas with dwindling or no choices."

"If the final product isn't improved for the state of Nevada, then I will not vote for it; if it is improved, I will support it," Heller said.

Capito said in a statement that she will "continue to push for policies that result in affordable health care coverage for West Virginians, including those who are in the Medicaid population and those struggling with drug addiction."

Several GOP senators have expressed concerns about what a so-called clean repeal, as passed in 2015, would do to insurance markets.

The Senate could take a complicated path if the motion to proceed passes. One possible route could end with a so-called skinny repeal, according to NBC News, which cited two Senate sources.

The Senate would "move on to debate and vote on a variety of approaches to the bill," like the repeal now and replace later plan that Paul supports but is expected to get blocked, NBC reported.

The chamber could then field some version of the replacement plan that stalled out recently, which may also fail. After that may come a vote for a partial, "skinny" repeal that would eliminate the individual mandate penalty, the employer mandate penalty and the medical device tax, according to NBC.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to comment to CNBC on what the Senate would do next if the motion passes.

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Rand Paul, Dean Heller plan to support Republican Obamacare vote

Sen. Rand Paul appears to be inching closer to helping GOP leaders get a healthcare bill over a procedural hurdle, The Hill reported.

The Kentucky Republican told reporters he'd support a motion to proceed to the House-passed healthcare bill the vehicle being used for action in the Senate if he could get a deal on amendments, including one on a "clean repeal."

"If they want my vote, they have to at least agree that we're going to at least have a vote on clean repeal," he said, The Hill reported.

He suggested he'd be on board of Senate leaders guarantee votes on some of the most prominent healthcare proposals from the GOP including repeal-only, repeal-and-replace and a bill created by Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine.

"I think they're pretty equal in support," he said, The Hill reported. "Let's do a random selection. Let's have three or four of them, put them in random order, the first day, equal billing. I think that's a compromise. I'm willing to get on the bill."

Senators are expected to hold a procedural vote Tuesday.

Paul has been a unequivocal "no" vote on the GOP's healthcare bill, and GOP leaders could get a boost if Paul were to come over to the "yes" side, and at least debate healthcare legislation.

"Up front we have a vote on clean repeal, and maybe [the Better Care Reconciliation Act], and maybe Collins-Cassidy. I think the major proposals could be put at the very front. We debate them on the first day," he said.

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Rand Paul: I Want a 'Clean Repeal' Amendment on Healthcare Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., confirmed that he will vote to move the Republican healthcare bill forward in the Senate, but stressed that he wont support the bill if conservatives arent more involved.

Nobody in Congress is more for repealing Obamacare and replacing all of it than me, Paul said on Fox News Fox & Friends Tuesday morning. Im not for [the bill]. Ill vote to get the bill out. But I want some assurance that well have a vote on a clean repeal. I think conservatives have been treated shoddy.

The Senate is scheduled for a preliminary vote on the GOP healthcare bill on Tuesday afternoon. The party has had a difficult time finding the 50 votes necessary, despite the GOP holding 52 seats in the upper chamber.

A number of conservatives associated with the Tea Party movement, including Paul and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, both of whom have been holdouts on the bill. Neither thinks it goes far enough to cut insurance costs or subsidies.

Paul said Tuesday that his faction haven't gotten zip from leadership, and that he has a lot of problems with this process, because conservatives are getting nothing.

"There's no promise of a clean repeal vote," Paul added. If they're not even going to talk with conservatives, if we're going to be excluded from the process, conservatives don't need to participate in this pork fest.

He said theres probably nobody in Congress more for repealing and replacing all of Obamacare than him.

I campaigned on it but what theyre putting forward isnt repeal and it becomes a huge insurance bailout.

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Sen. Rand Paul to Vote 'Yes' on Healthcare Bill - Newsmax

Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulSenate rejects ObamaCare repeal, replacement amendment Overnight Healthcare: Senate votes to begin ObamaCare repeal debate | McCain returns to vote | GOP floats scaled-down healthcare bill Overnight Regulation: House votes to repeal forced arbitration rule | Dems look to ban controversial pesticide | House panel wants to hear from tech CEOs on net neutrality MORE (R-Ky.) saidTuesdaythat he will vote in favor of a key healthcare vote expected later in the day.

Paul tweeted that he will vote in favor of a motion to proceed to a debate on healthcare because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellMitch McConnellSenate Dem: Were trying to block a recess appointment to replace Sessions Trump predicts 'problems' for those voting against ObamaCare repeal Overnight Defense: House passes Russia sanctions deal | McCain returns to Senate | Watchdog opens criminal probe into M camo mistake MORE (R-Ky.) told him the chamber would take up the 2015 ObamaCare repeal bill previously passed by Congress.

Paul has pushed for a vote on the 2015 bill, which repeals large parts of ObamaCare's requirements and regulations, instead of the GOP repeal-and-replace plan that Republicans have been working on this year.

It's still not clear if McConnell has the 50 votes he needs to proceed to debate.

But the 2015 repeal bill would need 60 votes, and will likely fail because it won't get the support of Democrats and some Republicans.

"I've been told by leadership their bill would now need 60 votes to pass, votes they do not have. Therefore I believe it will fail," Paul said, adding, "If we cannot pass full, clean repeal, I've also been told we will vote on whatever version of CLEAN repeal we can pass."

Paul is likely referring to a newplanto consider a "skinny bill," which would repeal ObamaCare's individual and employer mandates and the medical device tax.

That would be a far narrower measure than the most recent Senate replacement bill, which also scaled down ObamaCare's subsidies and cut Medicaid.

If that is the plan, I will vote to proceed to have this vote. I also now believe we will be able to defeat the new spending and bailouts.

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Rand Paul a yes on key healthcare hurdle - The Hill

Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulSenate rejects ObamaCare repeal, replacement amendment Overnight Healthcare: Senate votes to begin ObamaCare repeal debate | McCain returns to vote | GOP floats scaled-down healthcare bill Overnight Regulation: House votes to repeal forced arbitration rule | Dems look to ban controversial pesticide | House panel wants to hear from tech CEOs on net neutrality MORE (R-Ky.) said early Tuesday that "conservatives are getting squat" from GOP leaders in negotiations to overhaul the nation's healthcare system.

"There's no promise of a clean repeal vote," he said on "Fox & Friends. "If they're not even going to talk with conservatives, if we're going to be excluded from the process, conservatives don't need to participate in this pork fest."

Conservatives are getting squat in this bill. -@RandPaul slams Senate GOP health care bill as a 'pork fest' pic.twitter.com/qyuOkNYCEQ

Paul also said there's "probably nobody in Congress more for repealing and replacing all of ObamaCare" than he is.

Icampaigned on it but what theyre putting forward isnt repeal and it becomes a huge insurance bailout," he said.

.@RandPaul: I want the clean repeal of ObamaCare. Conservatives have offered to negotiate but have gotten zip from leadership. pic.twitter.com/F3n0cUMpjR

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The Senate Republicans' effort to repeal and replace Obamacare faces a key hurdle on Tuesday.

Leadershipplans to try to proceedto the House-passed healthcare bill, paving the way for action in the upper chamber.

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Rand Paul: Conservatives are getting 'squat' from Senate leadership - The Hill