Hard-Line Republican Caucus Backs Revised Bill to Repeal Obamacare -
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and ROBERT PEARAPRIL 26, 2017
WASHINGTON — The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line conservatives who were instrumental in blocking President Trump’s plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act last
month, gave its approval Wednesday to a new, more conservative version, breathing new life into Republican efforts to replace President Barack Obama’s health law.
The latest proposal, drafted by Representative Tom MacArthur, a moderate Republican of New Jersey, would allow states to obtain waivers from federal mandates
that insurers cover certain “essential health benefits,” like emergency services, maternity care, and mental health and substance abuse services, which many Republicans argue have driven up premiums.
“Members went home and got an earful,” said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, saying
that voters were wondering, “Why can’t you get something done?” Mr. Cole said he was now “cautiously optimistic” that the measure could pass on the floor.
“Over the past couple of months, House conservatives have worked tirelessly to improve the American Health Care Act to make
it better for the American people,” Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for the House Freedom Caucus, said in a prepared statement.
Mr. Trump, seeking a major legislative victory in the first 100 days of his presidency, has been pressing hard to get a floor vote on a measure to repeal Mr. Obama’s signature health care law
and to fulfill a campaign promise of most Republicans for the better part of a decade.
