More House conservatives are embracing a deal to partially repeal and replace Obamacare, placing heavy pressure on wary Republican centrists to support the compromise legislation as early as this week.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus announced Wednesday that it would support a version of the American Health Care Act that includes a deal that lets states opt out of key insurance requirements. House Republican leaders have not ruled out a vote on the bill this week, but it is not clear where centrists stand.
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2621388
While the amendment authored by centrist Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., brought enough members of the House Freedom Caucus, which has 35 to 40 members, it hasn’t led to a full-scale revolt from centrists. However, it hasn’t converted any centrists who had previously said “no” to a “yes” vote, either.
Republicans need 217 votes to pass the legislation. That means the GOP leadership will be turning up the heat on centrists to get them on board.
Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a member of the centrist Tuesday Group composed of about 50 lawmakers, said he has spoken with several colleagues about their concerns.
“A few members have said to me they don’t believe any governor is going to ask for the waiver anyways,” Collins told the Washington Examiner, referring to the waiver states can receive if they want to opt out of some of the insurer mandates, which includes a price control called “community rating” and Obamacare’s essential health benefits.
However, the problem isn’t with the waivers, but with the political ramifications of the vote.
“The worry is that someone could put an ad out that you supported something that could have taken something away,” he said.
A score from the Congressional Budget Office on the original American Health Care Act estimated that up to 24 million people could go without insurance over the next decade.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the Freedom Caucus chairman, said the CBO probably will not do a new score to reflect the MacArthur amendment or another change to set up risk sharing among insurers.
He said he is confident after speaking with actuaries that the plan would reduce premiums, a key concern among the Freedom Caucus that partly led to GOP leadership pulling the legislation off the House floor last month.
It is not known how lawmakers who were a “yes” or “undecided” have moved firmly into the “no” camp.
Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., told reporters after leaving a Tuesday Group meeting Wednesday that he went from a “yes” to “undecided,” according to published reports.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., is also undecided.
“I understand Obamacare is collapsing,” he said. “My concern continues to be the most vulnerable and those who are 50 to 64 years old and who use Medicaid. I want to make sure their options are better.”
Key centrists remain opposed such as Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., a co-chairman of the Tuesday Group alongside MacArthur.
But with the addition of more conservative House Freedom Caucus members in the yes camp, Republicans can afford some centrist defections.
The Freedom Caucus endorsement buoyed some lawmakers’ hopes of holding a vote as early as this week. But a senior Republican aide said that while the movement was encouraging, they are still looking to lock down the requisite number of votes.
Collins said that House leaders will bring the bill up for a vote only if they are sure to have the votes, not if they are a few short to arm twist while holding the vote open.
“They have been adamant, they are going to count the votes and bring it to the floor when they get the number they need,” he said.
But GOP leadership won’t be persuading only centrists.
Just because the House Freedom Caucus supports it doesn’t mean all of the members do. It just means that 80 percent of the caucus said they support it.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a conservative who isn’t a member of the caucus, told reporters that he is still a “no.” However, Massie made a big show last month that he had changed his vote from “no” to “hell no.”
When Massie was questioned about the change, the lawmaker confirmed, “I’ve shifted.”
