House Republicans say they will vote on health care bill Friday although still struggling to secure votes. Our Alberto Pimienta filed the following report.
A vote scheduled for Thursday to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act was pushed back a day due to Republicans not getting enough votes.
Thursday was the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, and Republicans wanted to repeal it on the anniversary.
President Trump long campaigned on the issue, and was wooing fellow Republicans for a long time. He is said to be the ultimate closer, but so far he has not been able to seal the deal.
Trump talked generally about it before hearing that the vote was postponed. "We'll see what happens, it's gonna be a very close vote. After we repeal and replace Obamacare — and, by the way, it's close not because Obamacare is good; it's close for politics," Trump said. "They know it's no good, everybody knows it's no good. Only politics, because we have a great bill, and I think we have a very good chance."
Just hours after the postponement, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said it was revising how much the plan would cut the deficit, which is a key Republican selling point.
It was $337 billion over ten years; now it is about $150 billion over the 2017-2026 period.
The office also estimated that the Obamacare replacement bill would leave 21 million people uninsured by 2020, and 24 million by 2026.
By that time, 52 million people under the age of 65 would not have insurance, compared to 28 million under Obamacare.
Thursday morning, Trump met with members of the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative faction of the Republican Party, which opposed the Republican bill.
After the meeting, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, said there was no deal.
"We have not gotten enough of our members to get to 'yes' at this point, under what we're currently considering," Meadows said. "However, I would say progress is being made."
To get them on board, the Trump Administration and House leadership offered to get rid of minimum coverage requirements under Obamacare.
That includes health benefits like maternity care, prescription drugs, and mental health services.
But that was not enough for the Freedom Caucus.
The conservative group wants an even stronger repeal of Obamacare regulations, including popular provisions like offering coverage to people with preexisting conditions and allowing young people to stay on their parents' insurance until they are 26.
But making those changes could mean losing support from more moderate Republicans.
A congressional source had told Spectrum News' Alberto Pimienta on Thursday evening that the assumption was that the vote will happen Friday morning, while at the same time adding that nothing is for sure.