After proposing their own amendment to the House GOP bill to repeal Obamacare and huddling with President Donald Trump, two key Republican members who had opposed the bill announced Wednesday that they will now support the legislation.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) emerged from a meeting with the President to tell reporters at the White House that they’re now comfortable backing the American Health Care Act.
“I think it is likely now to pass in the House,” Upton told reporters, according to Bloomberg News.
Upton and Long surprised Republicans earlier in the week when they came out against the bill because of an amendment offered by moderate Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ). That amendment, which prompted the House Freedom Caucus to officially support the AHCA, would allow states to apply for waivers from certain Obamacare mandates.
The MacArthur amendment was met with skepticism from other moderate Republicans who were worried about the impact the waivers could have on coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions, however.
The amendment proposed by Upton and Long would secure an additional $8 billion to cover people with pre-existing conditions, according to Politico.
In a statement to Politico, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) said Upton and Long “will find broad support” for their amendment in the House Freedom Caucus.
But it’s not yet clear that the AHCA will maintain enough conservative votes and gain enough moderate votes to pass in the House with this addition.
All hail the Conservative Affordable Care Act!
aka CACA…
$8 billion ain’t shit. To call it a drop in the ocean of what’s needed to make this “plan” work would be an insult to drops.
Am I missing something? You’re talking about $8 million as if that’s a meaningful figure to help cover all the chronically sick people in the country? That’s like an airport shuttle van—once 10 or 15 people get on, you’re full up and have to shut the doors. Ridiculous.
Excellent! Let’s get those votes on the record. And then, when it gets to the Senate, we’ll see the CBO scoring.
$1.6 Billion a year over 5 years is all it is.
The Center for American Progress estimates that over $30 Billion is needed each year to adequately fund High Risk Pools.
Too bad TPM provides no context.