House Republicans plan to vote on the House floor on Speaker Ryan’s Obamacare-lite bill Thursday, amidst serious internal strife between Republican leadership and conservatives in the House and Senate.
Sources told NBC News that the GOP leadership scheduled the vote only after it believed it had the support to pass the bill.
Speaker Ryan and Republican leadership will now rally support for the plan, amid strong opposition from the House Freedom Caucus. House Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows referred to Speaker Ryan’s repeal bill as “Obamacare-lite” and criticized the bill for creating new entitlements through the bill’s tax credits to purchase health insurance.
Republicans need 218 votes to pass legislation in the House. However, the House Freedom Caucus’ s 40-member coalition against Speaker Ryan’s Obamacare repeal bill might sink the bill’s chances of passing.
GOP sources told The Hill that the White House swayed several Republican Study Caucus members by granting states the option to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, as well as creating an option to block-grant Medicaid.
Not all conservatives are convinced about the bill. Congressman Justin Amash (R-MI) said, “Absolutely not true that conservatives have flipped to yes on the health care bill. It doesn’t repeal Obamacare. It remains a disaster.”
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