Search for votes...

House GOP leaders search for votes to pass Obamacare repeal

The fate of the bill now rests with moderate Republicans.

By KYLE CHENEY , RACHAEL BADE and JOHN BRESNAHAN

House Republican leaders are scouring for votes Thursday to pass their newly reconfigured Obamacare replacement plan -- but they're still coming up short.

Though they've locked down the support of the most recalcitrant conservatives in the 238-member House GOP conference, the leaders are now on the hunt for support from moderate members wary of a constituent backlash if they support the health care overhaul.

In service of that goal, Speaker Paul Ryan and his top lieutenants released a new bill late Wednesday to remove an exemption for lawmakers and staff from potential health care benefit cuts. The exemption, contained in the revised Obamacare replacement plan, threatened to unravel a delicate accord between the archconservative House Freedom Caucus and a key moderate -- Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) -- as they work to lock down just enough votes to pass the measure.

House leaders spent Wednesday buttonholing members one by one, attempting to wring out every possible vote. They huddled late into the evening on Wednesday, under heavy pressure from the White House to schedule a vote this week -- and even held open the possibility of a weekend vote. But they still remain uncertain about the measure's prospects.

That's despite a Wednesday trip to the Capitol by Vice President Mike Pence to meet with the moderate GOP Tuesday Group. The meeting didn't appear to yield any new votes for the measure.

The magic number for Ryan and his team is 216: a bare majority in the current 431-member House. No Democrats are expected to support the measure, which guts some of Obamacare central consumer protections, repeals its taxes and phases out its massive expansion of Medicaid. That means Ryan can afford to lose no more than 22 Republican votes to pass the bill.

But there are signs the whip count among moderates could be a struggle.

Several centrist Republicans who backed earlier versions of the proposal are now signaling they are undecided on the current plan. And that's in addition to a small band of "hell no" votes from both ends of the ideological spectrum.

A handful of conservatives say the measure still doesn't go far enough to rip Obamacare off the books, and some moderates say it will leave constituents without enough protections and drive up premiums for older consumers. The Congressional Budget Office also indicated that an estimated 24 million more people could go uninsured over the next 10 years under the bill.

On Wednesday, House vote counters like deputy whip Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) could be seen roaming the House chamber, corralling members who opposed the health care measure -- even Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), one of the most ardent opponents of earlier versions of the health care plan. Amash, a Freedom Caucus member, has told reporters he's still reviewing the bill despite the Freedom Caucus' endorsement.

At the heart of the revised health care measure are the changes negotiated by Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and MacArthur, a second-term lawmaker and co-chair of the moderate GOP Tuesday Group. Under the proposal, states would be permitted to waive some of Obamacare's minimum coverage requirements and consumer protections, so long as they certified that they could offer an alternative that reduces premiums, enhances competition or increases the number of people with coverage.

Though the measure preserves Obamacare's guarantee of coverage for people with preexisting conditions, it also allows states to relax the prohibition on insurers jacking up premiums for sick people. To offset that risk, the bill includes a $130 billion fund meant to help keep premiums down for people with preexisting conditions. But advocates like the AARP and doctors groups worry that it isn't enough.

Late Wednesday, House leaders held a listening session for moderates who were still publicly undecided on the bill. Tuesday Group co-chair Rep. Charlie Dent has been particularly frustrated by what he argues is a flawed process that led to the latest proposal. He said it appeared to be more about Freedom Caucus conservatives -- who came under fire for sinking the last version of the health care bill -- attempting to shift blame toward moderates.

Several conservative advocacy groups -- like FreedomWorks and the Club For Growth -- opposed earlier versions of the bill but endorsed the new measure.

The White House has seized on the conservative momentum to call for a vote this week, ahead of President Donald Trump's 100th day in office on Saturday. But as of Thursday morning, no vote had been scheduled as leaders continued to take the temperature of skittish members.