She promised a cautious, deliberate approach to making the so-called American Health Care Act better if it comes to the Senate.

“I can’t say today whether I support it or don’t support it,” Ernst said.

Before she can decide, Ernst has to know how it would affect Iowans, she said, especially working Iowans who can’t afford Obamacare premiums.

She related a story of a single mother who chose to go without health insurance in order to have money to send her sons to college, and another about a woman paying $400 a month for a policy with a $9,000 deductible.

“In all likelihood, she’ll never meet that deductible, so she’s paying everything out of pocket,” Ernst said.

Ernst said she also has questions about tax credits in the GOP plan. She said she wants to ensure working families can find affordable coverage.

“It’s really important to me (because) in Iowa we have a lot of folks who fall into that category — they would like to have the coverage but they just can’t afford it,” Ernst told reporters.