Previously, any plan related to an ACA takedown could shoot through the House. It was the Senate that was singled out for slowing down the process, as many Republican senators are wary of a plan that involves scrapping the health law without first developing a comprehensive replacement plan, according to The New York Times.
But amid protests, confrontational town hall gatherings and numerous meetings with healthcare providers, administrators and patients, the possibility of a consensus on ACA repeal in the House is becoming less likely, according to the report.
While the most conservative House members are striving for a quick repeal of the ACA and a barebones or delayed replacement plan, others are stressing the need to take their time to devise a replacement plan.
"For the first time Republicans need to demonstrate what they are for and not just being against Obamacare," said Doug Heye, who served as the deputy chief of staff to former Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., when he was majority leader, according to The New York Times. "Republicans are going to come back to Washington next week and say what they've heard on the ground, at hospitals, at restaurants, at events where people have been concerned about where they go from here. How much that shapes things over the next months remains to be seen."
The 218 votes required in the House to pass repeal legislation still remains likely, but it won't be as easy as with previous bills when Republican lawmakers knew their efforts would die in the Senate or by former President Barack Obama's pen, according to the report.