House Republicans were told on a conference call Saturday that an agreement was nearing between conservatives and moderates on legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“The votes will drive the timing of this,” one Republican lawmaker on the call told The Hill, making clear that nothing was certain unless the GOP had the votes to pass any bill.
Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, briefed members on healthcare, according to the report. No questions were taken.
The discussion made apparent that House Republicans would not be able to pass a healthcare bill before President Donald Trump reaches his 100-day mark next Saturday.
The American Health Care Act was pulled twice from a House floor vote last month amid strong opposition from members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and some moderates.
No Democrats supported the plan.
The impasse on the healthcare bill centers on whether states would have the ability to have waivers that would repeal the Obamacare regulations that prevent people with pre-existing conditions from being charged more, the Hill reports.
The negotiations are being conducted by Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina conservative Republican, and moderate Rep. Tom MacArthur of New Jersey.
MacArthur told The Hill that the proposal’s language was still being worked out.
“It's almost achieving what I want, but a few areas need to be tightened up," he said.
MacArthur noted the concerns among moderates about ensuring that minimum insurance coverage requirements are protected.
In addition, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Freylinghuysen of New Jersey gave lawmakers an update on a spending bill that would need to be passed by Friday to keep the federal government open.
A 16-day partial government shutdown in 2013 cost American taxpayers $1.4 billion.
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