House conservatives love it when plan B starts to come together.
After insisting for weeks that healthcare reform was a binary choice, Speaker Paul Ryan just backed a Freedom Caucus amendment to allow risk-sharing in insurance markets. Ryan said it was “real progress” and Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows agrees.
Before his group signs off on the revised Obamacare overhaul, though, he wants more. The amendment introduced by Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and David Schweikert of Arizona “doesn’t complete the task,” Meadows said. “But it’s a good step in the right direction.”
Leadership has to be hoping that the amendment will prove to be a shot in the arm for Republicans’ anemic efforts to overhaul Obamacare. The roughly 40 members of the Freedom Caucus have frustrated Ryan’s plans so far. But standing next to the speaker this morning, Palmer signaled that he’s finally ready to get on board.
“The whole point of what we’re trying to do is keep our promise to the American people,” Palmer explained. “We want to do something that brings down premiums, make sure that we take care of people with pre-existing conditions. I believe we do this.”
The amendment would add language to Ryan’s American Health Care Act that would create a “risk sharing fund” to subsidize patients with excessively high medical costs. It’s modeled after a successful program in the state of Maine that simultaneously reduced premiums and increased the number of insured.
The last minute consensus gives lawmakers a bit of cover as they prepare to head home for a two-week Easter recess. But if additional concessions aren’t made, Meadows signaled that the amendment will amount to little more than a messaging point.
Specifically, his group wants the final bill to include waivers for community ratings, guaranteed issue regulations, and essential health benefits. If those are included along with the risk-sharing amendment, Meadows said, “the majority if not all of the Freedom Caucus will vote for this bill.”
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
