Kevin McCarthy is now saying they definitely have the votes to pass the Republican healthcare bill, aka Obamacare reform:
A big reason they now have the votes is that yesterday they added an amendment to appease the moderates, called the Upton amendment:
The House has released the text of Rep. Fred Upton’s amendment to the House bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. It provides $8 billion over five years to provide “assistance to reduce premiums or other out-of-pocket costs” for people with pre-existing conditions who would be charged higher premiums in states that get waivers from ACA pricing rules.
Here’s more from USA Today:
In an effort to woo moderate Republicans who feared that would put insurance costs out of reach for many sick patients, GOP leaders and the White House agreed to include an extra $8 billion to help patients with existing health problems.
That tweak won over two key holdouts and gave the GOP much-needed momentum for the bill just as the White House ratcheted up pressure for a House vote this week.
“I support the bill with this amendment,” said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., after meeting with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday morning about his proposal to beef up funding to help individuals with pre-existing conditions. Upton is an influential player on health care policy, and he had previously opposed the bill amid concerns it would undermine protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
Another holdout, Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., also switched from a “no” to a “yes” after meeting with Trump and working with Upton on his amendment. Long said he and Upton “sold” Trump on their amendment and agreed to switch their votes after he committed to support it.
So the big vote is sometime today. We’ll keep you posted…