Republican lawmakers are closing in on a reworked healthcare bill that looks to begin dismantling and replacing Obamacare, according to a report from The Hill.
Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and moderate Tuesday Group co-chair Rep. Tom MacArther (R-N.J.) are brokering the compromised piece, according to the report.
The revised plan would reportedly allow states to apply for waivers to repeal protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions, according to the report. The end result would allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions higher premiums based on those conditions.
The new bill would also allows states the opportunity to repeal Obamacare’s other health benefits requiring insurers cover health services including mental health and prescription drugs, according to the report.
Conservatives seem to be more on board with the plan, according to the report, but at the cost of moderate votes. “There’s no deal,”a moderate GOP aide told The Hill. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they started to lose more moderates.”
Moderate Republicans over the past weeks have promised to protect the protections for pre-existing conditions at town hall meetings, according to the report, meaning they could be less likely to support the updated bill.
The still-in-production bill looks to replace an earlier GOP attempt which was withdrawn by Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives in late March due to a shortage of votes.
