House Republican leaders insist their ambitious 200-day agenda is on track

“Everything’s still on,” House Republican Vice Chairman Doug Collins of Georgia said Monday after GOP leaders huddled in Ryan’s office for their weekly pow wow. “We’re just all going along working the plan … keeping the timeline,” he said.

That timeline includes repealing and formulating how to replace Obamacare, and agreeing on a broad rewrite of the tax code all before Congress adjourns for its annual August recess.

“I have not heard our leadership back off” the 200-day timetable, said Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y.

But “there’s no agreement” on exactly what to replace Obamacare with, he said acknowledged.

He pointed out that insurance companies are already setting plans and rates for 2018. Therefore, Americans who purchase insurance through the exchange likely won’t see changes for two years.

“So Obamacare coverage not going to change” immediately, the New York lawmaker said.

“Then there’s a debate of — there’s certain income drivers: taxes, fees and penalties. If you repeal them now and don’t collect them, what does that do to our deficit and debt? And that’s an open question. We’re united on what we want this to look like when all is said and done,” he said.

Chris Collins predicted the details will start to gel when President Trump’s nominee to run the Health and Human Services Department, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., is confirmed.

“I think the real key here is Tom Price being confirmed and looking at what he can do as secretary … without going through the Congress,” he said, adding that the Obama administration enacted a lot of the ACA through agency rule-making.

“He’ll be driving the debate. Tom Price more than any of us is going to be driving this from an administrative standpoint. But he isn’t confirmed yet. Tomorrow won’t be soon enough,” he said.

Doug Collins underscored that point.

“When we get our people in place, then we can get moving,” he said.