Sen. Lamar Alexander has found himself in an uncommon position for most Republicans this year: Trying to save the shaky insurance markets created by the 2010 health care law before attending to a major overhaul of the law.

The opinions of the Tennessee’s senior senator carry significant weight among his colleagues. He is a close confidant of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and also chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

And while Alexander has been a near constant critic of former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, he is now one of the leading voices in the chamber for saving it, at least for 2018 and 2019.

“We might have to do some things and authorize some things in those two years that we wouldn’t do long-term,” he said last week. “And then in 2020, we would hope to have our long-term solution for the people that don’t have the insurance.”

Republicans are employing a budget tool known as reconciliation to push forward legislation to repeal large portions of the law. The method requires only a simple majority to pass the Senate. That means the GOP, which holds 52 seats in the chamber, can advance the measure with only Republican support. The House passed its own repeal bill earlier this month in a narrow 217-213 vote.