The Republican-run Senate has rejected a GOP proposal to scuttle President Barack Obama's health care law and give Congress two years to devise a replacement.

Seven Republicans joined all Democrats Wednesday in a 45-55 vote defeating the plan. It was the second self-inflicted setback the GOP has suffered this week in trying to roll back Obama's 2010 statute.

Lawmakers are now embroiled in a series of votes that are largely expected to fail as they hope to salvage their health care effort with the hopes of eventually rewriting the legislation.

Repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the legislation enacted under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, has been a rallying cry for Republicans since the program was signed in 2010.

Legislation changing key Obamacare provisions passed the House of Representatives in May, but a series of similar measures have failed in the Senate amid opposition from a handful of Republicans who considered the proposals either inadequately free-market-oriented or or too damaging to Obamacare.

Democrats argue that Obamacare brought coverage to millions of uninsured U.S. residents, and analysis of various versions of the Republican proposal would put the number of people left uninsured at north of 20 million.

Republicans have cited rising costs and fewer insurance providers participating in the program in many parts of the country.

Late Tuesday, nine Republicans joined Democrats in blocking a proposal by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to dismantle Obama's law. It would have replaced it with eased coverage requirements for insurers, less generous federal health care subsidies and other changes.