House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Tuesday said that Republicans are united in their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, despite some conservative House members’ opposition to a draft of repeal legislation that recently circulated.
“Look, you’ll have a lot of turning on any kind of legislative product like this,” Ryan told reporters when asked about pushback from conservative members. “This is a plan we’re all working on together.”
Leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican Study Committee have voiced opposition to a draft repeal bill leaked to the press last week. Those members are concerned about a provision that would provide tax credits to Americans who purchase health insurance on their own.
“It provides for a new entitlement program, is my belief,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, told reporters Monday.
On Tuesday, Ryan insisted that Republicans are simply pushing forward on a plan they’ve been developing for more than a year. He told reporters that the Republicans’ plan will address “discrimination” in the tax code against people who do not get health insurance through their employer.
“That’s the plan we’ve always been looking at, and that is what we’re working on with the administration,” he said. “I feel that at the end of the day when we get everything done and right, we’re going to be unified on this.”
