Freedom Caucus Leaders Appear Ready To Support Revised GOP Health Plan
Conservatives seem to be coalescing behind a health plan that includes waivers allowing states to opt out of major regulations related to essential health benefits and insurance companies to charge higher premiums for patients with preexisting conditions.
The Washington Post:
House Freedom Caucus Leaders Back New Health-Care Plan
White House officials and several Republican lawmakers claimed Tuesday they were nearing a deal on health-care legislation with the House Freedom Caucus, with at least three leading figures in the hard-line group ready to support an overhaul after the dramatic collapse of talks last month. Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Raúl R. Labrador (R-Idaho) — all leaders of the Freedom Caucus and central figures in the latest discussions — signaled Tuesday they are ready to support a new plan, according to two White House officials who were not authorized to speak publicly. A lawmaker close to the Freedom Caucus later confirmed that those members were close to or ready to support the tweaked bill. (Costa and Winfield Cunningham, 4/25)
Politico:
Republicans Finalize New Obamacare Repeal Proposal
[It] is far from clear that the fragile agreement will provide Speaker Paul Ryan the 216 votes needed for the House to pass the stalled legislation.
Optimism is growing among Republican officials on the Hill and in the White House. Leadership will likely need at least 15 to 20 new House Freedom Caucus votes to have any shot at passing the bill. (Bade, Haberkorn and Dawsey, 4/25)
Bloomberg:
Stalled Health Bill Wins New Support From Conservative Holdouts
House Republicans have been under intense pressure to deliver on years of promises to repeal Obamacare, but GOP leaders weren’t making predictions of an imminent vote, despite renewed pressure from the White House as President Donald Trump approaches his 100th day in office on Saturday. The new enthusiasm stems from an amendment that would give states the authority to apply for waivers from some of Obamacare’s requirements under certain conditions. (House, Denis, Kapur, 4/25)
The Hill:
House GOP Circulates New Changes To Health Bill
According to legislative text of the amendment obtained by The Hill, the measure would allow states to apply for waivers to repeal one of ObamaCare’s core protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Conservatives argue the provision drives up premiums for healthy people, but Democrats -- and many more moderate Republicans -- warn it would spark a return to the days when insurance companies could charge sick people exorbitantly high premiums. (Sullivan, 4/25)
The Hill:
Changes To GOP ObamaCare Repeal Flips Some Conservatives
Rep. David Brat (R-Va.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told reporters Tuesday evening that he would likely support the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as long as discussions on what would be in the amendment appear in the legislative text. "If it shows up in the language the way we discussed it, then yes," Brat said. (Hellman, 4/25)
Meanwhile, a look at the history of covering people with preexisting conditions —
Kaiser Health News:
Pre-Obamacare, Preexisting Conditions Long Vexed States And Insurers
For most of his life, Carl Goulden had near-perfect health. He and his wife, Wanda, say that changed 10 years ago. Carl remembered feeling “a lot of pain in the back, tired, fatigue, yellow eyes — a lot of jaundice.” “Gray-like skin,” Wanda added. His liver wasn’t working, she explained. “It wasn’t filtering.” Carl was diagnosed with hepatitis B. He is now 65 and on Medicare, but back then he had a flower shop in Littlestown, Pa., so he had been buying health insurance for his family on the market for small businesses and the self-employed. (Gordon, 4/26)
