House GOP Health Plan Vote Nears Amid Uncertainty
It will be a long day for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as they push to gather the needed support to ensure passage of the American Health Care Act.
The New York Times:
House Republicans Search For Votes To Repeal Obamacare
Hardline conservatives in the House will meet Thursday morning with President Trump to hammer out changes to the House bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, pressing to eliminate federal requirements that health insurance plans provide a basic set of benefits like maternity care, emergency services and wellness visits. House Republican leaders called off a meeting with all members of their party early Thursday at the Capitol, placing their faith in a House Freedom Caucus negotiating session at the White House with President Trump. If the president and the conservatives can reach an agreement, a vote on the House floor, still scheduled for Thursday, can move forward. (Kaplan and Pear, 3/23)
Politico:
Obamacare Repeal In Jeopardy As Trump Offers 11th-Hour Concessions
The Republican push to replace Obamacare – backed forcefully by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan —is in jeopardy, as a last-ditch bid by the White House to win conservative support late Wednesday appeared to repel moderates. Moderate Republicans huddled with Speaker Paul Ryan and House leaders for nearly two hours Wednesday night but emerged without consensus -- and a vote on the health measure still teed up for late Thursday. Immediately after exiting the meeting, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), leader of the House’s moderate Tuesday Group, panned the bill, known as the American Health Care Act. (Cheney, Bade and Bresnahan, 3/23)
The Washington Post:
GOP Health-Care Plan Hangs In Balance As House Leaders Push For Thursday Floor Vote
The Republican health-care overhaul faces its greatest test ever on Thursday as President Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) work feverishly to persuade enough Republican lawmakers to back the measure and push it to a floor vote. Late Wednesday, the White House and House leaders were still scrambling to grow support, and signaled at the 11th hour a willingness to rework the measure to mollify conservatives. (Eilperin, DeBonis and Weigel, 3/23)
USA Today:
8 GOP House Members Whose Votes On Health Care Will Be Crucial
Pressure on undecided members has been intense, with President Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and other Republican leaders pushing their GOP colleagues to approve the legislation while some conservative groups and some Republican governors plead with them to reject the bill. Here's a look at eight GOP House members whose votes will be crucial in deciding the outcome. (Kelly and Collins, 3/23)
If the bill passes the U.S. House, its prospects are uncertain in the Senate. And "Trumpcare" can still come to pass through regulations —
The Wall Street Journal:
The Tough Senate Math For The GOP Health Plan
The Republican health plan, which is expected to face a tight vote in the House this week, is also likely to encounter a rocky road in the Senate. Some states have seen big improvements in recent years in the number of residents with health insurance, and some GOP senators are wary of losing those gains. Here is a look at where senators stand. (Rust and Shin, 3/22)
Politico:
Is Trumpcare Already Here?
No matter what happens to the Republicans’ troubled health bill in Congress, Trumpcare is here to stay. The Trump administration has already begun to transform the health insurance market, wielding executive power to rewrite coverage rules, slash Obamacare’s marketing budget and signal an all-out assault on his predecessor’s health care law. And Republicans have high expectations the administration will take additional measures to unwind Obamacare, such as targeting its contraception coverage requirement at the center of two recent religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court. (Diamond, 3/23)