Saying Obamacare repeal is what unites Republicans, a faction of House and Senate conservatives urged GOP leaders Tuesday to kill off the 2010 law and debate the next steps separately, rather than rushing ahead with a replacement bill that falls short in their eyes.
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, and Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, said they will reintroduce a 2015 effort that would have gutted the Affordable Care Act and attracted widespread GOP support before meeting President Obama’s veto.
“How about using the bill we all supported?” said Mr. Jordan, a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 GOP members who frequently clash with GOP leadership.
The Freedom Caucus and a trio of Senate conservatives are leading the opposition to a long-awaited House GOP plan to repeal and replace as much of Obamacare as they can using fast-track budget rules that allow them to avoid a Democratic filibuster.
Conservatives say the plan’s refundable, age-based tax credits to help people purchase insurance on their own create a new entitlement. Also, having insurers tack a 30-percent surcharge on new customers who failed to maintain coverage is no better than Obamacare’s loathed individual mandate requiring people to get insured or pay Uncle Sam a tax, they said.
The plan unwinds Obamacare’s vast expansion of Medicaid in 31 states, but only does so gradually after 2020.
Conservatives said they were hoping the plan would look nothing like Obamacare and rely on market forces to drive down actual health costs.
“This is, instead, a step in the wrong direction, and if anything, is a missed opportunity,” Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, said.
The conservatives did not declare the bill dead on arrival, however.
Rather, they said President Trump, who called the House plan “wonderful,” is a mega-negotiator who left enough wiggle room for major changes to the bill.
They also said Vice President Mike Pence told them the administration was “still open to negotiation and modification” of the existing framework, which powerful GOP committee chairmen unveiled late Monday.
Mr. Trump signaled Tuesday he is eager to move on to tax reform, however, so Capitol Hill will be looking to him for more direction.
Mr. Paul said conservatives and the Freedom Caucus will demand a seat the table to make major changes to the House plan, or threaten to withhold their support.
For now, they said it’s best to fulfill their campaign promise of repeal and then debate any replacement measures along a parallel track.
“We have to admit we are divided on replacement,” Mr. Paul said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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