Story highlights Senate health care bill is expected to be released Thursday afternoon

Chairman of Senate Republican policy committee: "It's a completely open amendment process"

Washington (CNN) The chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee said Wednesday that Republicans are fine-tuning the specifics of the Senate health care bill, one week before a vote is scheduled on the legislation.

"We're still putting the final touches on it," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday afternoon.

Barrasso added that the Senate is "writing our own bill," distancing it from the House version that President Donald Trump called "mean" last week.

Although GOP lawmakers have faced criticism for debating the health care bill behind closed doors, Barrasso argued that there will be "plenty of opportunity" for public discussion of the bill, citing an "open amendment" process on the Senate floor.

"The American people are going to be able to watch it all on C-SPAN, and that opportunity is coming," Barrasso said.

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