GOP Doesn’t Have The Votes Locked Up Yet To Guarantee Health Plan Will Pass

The Washington Post: There Are Still Enough Republicans Opposed To The Obamacare Replacement Bill To Kill It (For Now)
As the House of Representatives prepares to vote Thursday on an Obamacare replacement plan, there is still enough Republican opposition in Congress to kill the bill. Assuming no Democrats support the measure, Republicans can lose two votes in the Senate and 21 votes in the House. (Phillips, 3/21)

Roll Call: House Health Care Bill Teetering On The Brink Of Failing
The GOP health care bill appears poised for failure with at least 19 Republicans committed to voting “no,” absent additional substantial changes, and several more likely to join them in opposition. This reality seems to be sinking in with GOP leaders, as they have started discussions with the House Freedom Caucus that accounts for most of the current opposition to the bill. However, neither leadership, nor the Freedom Caucus would say serious negotiations about changes were underway Tuesday night. (McPherson and Rahman, 3/22)

The New York Times: Trump Warns House Republicans: Repeal Health Law Or Lose Your Seats
President Trump on Tuesday turned up the pressure on recalcitrant Republicans to support a sweeping bill to overhaul the health care system, threatening wavering lawmakers in his party with political payback if they failed to get behind a measure that has become an early test of his negotiating power. (Davis, Kaplan and Pear, 3/21)

The Washington Post: Trump To GOP Critics Of Health Care Bill: ‘I’m Gonna Come After You’
[Trump] singled out Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, which has led the right-wing opposition to the bill. “I’m gonna come after you, but I know I won’t have to, because I know you’ll vote ‘yes,’ ” Trump said, according to several lawmakers who attended the meeting. “Honestly, a loss is not acceptable, folks.” Trump’s remarks — which Meadows said he took as good-natured ribbing — reflected his mounting urgency to secure a major legislative victory in the early months of his presidency and fulfill a central campaign promise by repealing the signature domestic achievement of President Barack Obama. (DeBonis, Snell and Costa, 3/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Warns House GOP To Support Health-Care Bill Or Risk Losing Votes In 2018
Mr. Meadows, whose bloc claims it has enough votes to defeat the bill, said he wasn’t convinced by Mr. Trump—a sign GOP leaders have more work to do to secure the votes needed to pass the bill. “It won’t lower premiums, and until it does, I’m going to be a ‘no,’ even if it sends me home,” Mr. Meadows said of the legislation after the president addressed lawmakers. “As a person, I love him,” said Rep. Rod Blum (R., Iowa), after the president’s presentation. Hearing from Mr. Trump “was a lot of fun. But it didn’t change me at all.” (Armour, Peterson and Hughes, 3/21)

Politico: Trump's Penchant For Vengeance Casts Shadow On Health Care Vote
For a president with a penchant for vengeance — who named “an eye for an eye” as his favorite biblical passage, who banned media outlets from campaign events when he didn’t approve of their coverage, who after the election ousted a GOP state chairman whom he viewed as disloyal, who just last week reminded a GOP governor who hadn’t endorsed him that “I never forget” — the roll-call vote on the Republican health care plan, expected Thursday, will be the first accounting of who’s with him and who’s against him on Capitol Hill. (Goldmacher, 3/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Ryan’s Leadership Is Tested By GOP’s Civil War On Health Bill
The test for Mr. Ryan is whether he can make the leap from serving as the architect of conservative policy, a role he played for years as the party’s leading budget author, to the more difficult role of guiding legislation into law. The task is much tougher now than when Republicans passed bills with the knowledge that a Democratic president would veto them. “Everybody understands that we’re dealing with live ammo now,” said Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), a roommate of Mr. Ryan when they served together in the House. (Peterson, 3/21)

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Trump’s Biggest Obamacare Bloopers
President Trump is like a broken record of Pinocchios, incessantly repeating false and misleading claims that have been debunked. As Congress debates the Republican replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, Trump has been on a greatest-hits tour of his favorite, and questionable, claims about Obamacare. We compiled a round-up of his most notable claims from the past week. (Lee and Kessler, 3/22)

Politico: House Democrats' New Obamacare Strategy: Get Out Of The Way
House Democrats have a new plan to tank Paul Ryan’s Obamacare repeal: Get out of the way. Democratic leaders in the House know they’re powerless to stop the GOP’s health care bill. So instead, with a repeal vote looming Thursday, they’re executing a strategic retreat. (Caygle and Schor, 3/22)

Los Angeles Times: The GOP Drive To Repeal Obamacare Threatens A Quiet Revolution In How U.S. Cities Care For Their Poor
Over the last four years, this city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains has quietly transformed how it cares for its poorest residents. As hundreds of thousands of Coloradans gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, known as or Obamacare, Denver built an extensive new system to keep patients healthy, hiring dozens of mental health specialists and nurses, expanding dental clinics and launching efforts to help patients manage debilitating illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. (Levey, 3/22)

Los Angeles Times: Welcome To The GOP's Obamacare War Room -- Coffee And Pastries Not Included
Each weekday morning, groggy aides pile into House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s conference room and suit up for battle.No pastries. Bring your own coffee. The niceties are limited. (Mascaro, 3/21)