Mitch McConnell: debate on healthcare will continue

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said the U.S. debate on healthcare would continue, but said nothing about whether he would bring an Obamacare repeal bill to a vote.

Opening the Senate, McConnell praised the bill sponsored by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, saying it contrasted sharply with Democratic proposals for "single-payer" healthcare. "It's an important debate for our country. It's one that will certainly continue," McConnell, a Republican, said.

Three Republican senators have said they will vote against Graham-Cassidy. But Republicans can lose no more than two votes on the measure, leaving the bill with no clear path to advancing in the Senate.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)