House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Thursday that there wouldn’t be any losers in his district once Congress passes legislation to partially repeal and replace Obamacare.
“I can tell you that based on the bill that we have today, I don’t see really any losers,” he said on MSNBC.
When pressed, Meadows clarified that some could be hurt, but said almost everyone would see an improvement.
“What I’m saying is the vast majority of the people I serve will be better off,” he said. “When you look at any change in legislation obviously to make an assumption that everyone is going to be better is not an accurate statement … My job as a legislator is to make sure to improve the situation.”
He added that his district had only one insurer offering plans through the Obamacare exchange. Fewer options in the exchanges can contribute to higher premium costs and limited healthcare providers.
The House is scheduled to vote on a bill Thursday that will repeal and replace portions of Obamacare. The Freedom Caucus, lead by Meadows, had opposed previous versions of the bill because members said the provisions did not go far enough in reducing premiums. The group’s lack of initial support force GOP leaders to pull the first version of the bill from the House floor, after Republicans found they would not have enough support to guarantee passage.
“When this bill first came out, 74 percent of the people I serve would have been worse off,” Meadows said of the earlier version.
The Freedom Caucus agreed to a change that would allow states to apply for waivers to be exempt from certain Obamacare mandates, and more centrists began to support the bill after more funding was added for high-risk pools.
