The House of Representatives delayed a vote scheduled for Thursday evening on the American Health Care Act. A vote is expected Friday afternoon, according to C-SPAN.
Here are five things to know about the delay and what's coming up next.
1. The vote was delayed due to the lack of consensus among House Republicans about the bill, which would undo much of the ACA.Assuming all Democrats would vote against the bill, Republicans can only afford to lose 22 votes on the House floor to advance the bill to the Senate. However, President Donald Trump failed to reach an agreement with conservative members of the Freedom Caucus, which has about three dozen members, according to Politico.
2. President Trump proposed repealing the ACA's essential health benefits, but conservatives dismissed this as an insufficient concession, according to Politico. Instead, Freedom Caucus members want more sweeping repeal — to do away with most of the ACA's Title I, according to The Washington Post. The only protections conservatives want to preserve are those for people with preexisting conditions and for young adults up to age 26 on their parents' plans, according to the report. GOP leadership originally opposed repealing essential health benefits because doing so would make the bill invalid in the Senate due to reconciliation rules, according to Politico.
3. Meanwhile, a handful of moderates also oppose the bill. The Washington Post counted four moderate Republicans who publically opposed the bill. President Trump was scheduled to meet later Thursday with members of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of about 50 moderate Republicans, according to a statement from the White House.
4. The total count of Republicans against the bill, including both moderates and conservatives, was 37 as of Thursday afternoon, according to The Washington Post. Another estimate puts the count at 30, according to Reuters. Republican leaders must carefully navigate changes — as they attempt to win over more conservative members, they risk losing moderates.
5. The vote is now expected Friday afternoon. Lawmakers were pushing for a vote Thursday as it marked the seventh anniversary of the ACA, according to The Washington Post. After President Trump's meeting with the Tuesday Group, Republicans plan to convene at 7 p.m. Thursday to create a plan, according to The New York Times.
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