Ryan On Health Insurance Reform: “We’ve got time to figure this out”
“We can keep working this for weeks now”
House Republicans held meetings late into Tuesday night, hoping to find some consensus on health insurance reform before the upcoming recess to no avail.
By all accounts, there’s still no other Obamacare repeal plan and so lawmakers, including Vice President Pence, are still trying to make the failed American Healthcare Act (AHCA) work.
There was not legislative text presented at the meeting as lawmakers continued to debate what changes would be made, despite hopes by the conservative House Freedom Caucus that the text would be made available for them to review.
Conservatives are facing pushback from other lawmakers as they seek to allow states to apply for waivers to repeal ObamaCare protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which they argue are driving up premiums.
Those protections are known as “community rating,” which prevents insurers from charging sick people more, and “guaranteed issue,” which prevents insurers from denying coverage to sick people.
Conservatives argue high-risk pool funding would help people with pre-existing conditions get coverage, but Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) acknowledged objections from more moderate members to removing regulations on pre-existing conditions.“Even though we have a high risk pool that deals with this, I think there’s probably a lot more concern over the guaranteed issue portion of that and what that may mean,” Meadows said leaving the meeting.
Lawmakers said they plan to meet again on Wednesday to continue the search for an agreement, but there are doubts from many corners about whether a deal is possible anytime soon.
Representatives from each GOP faction were present:
The meeting included Pence as well as the leaders of different House GOP factions: Meadows, Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.), and moderate Tuesday Group co-Chairman Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.). House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) were also among the small group attending.
Walker said there was “great consensus” on high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions, but he didn’t go into detail. He said the group would meet Wednesday to discuss ObamaCare Title I regulations.
Speaker Ryan told reporters he found the meeting to be “very productive” saying they’d set no deadline to come to a deal, contra to the media narrative suggesting Republicans must move quickly. “We can keep working this for weeks now,” Ryan said. “We’ve got time to figure this out.”
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Beta.
There is no Constitutional reason why the Federal Government needs to be involved with healthcare.
Great news!! Only weeks left to figure out how to legislate something they’ve been talking about and getting elected on for 7 years!! Happy to know the Kabuki theater of all of the false repeal efforts will finally pay off…..(pure sarcasm).
We’ve got to get rid of this lying greaseball.
Might as well have Crazy Pelosi as Speaker – nothing much would be different, except even more people hate her.
Well, he is a good looking man. Perhaps he could get a job modeling shorts and jeans for Amazon.
You forgot your SNARK TAG.
Of course it will take “weeks”. Congress is only going to be in session for 8 days in April. Probably a lot of that is pro-forma gavel into session/gavel out of session. The House wants to avoid doing what they said they would do. The Senate wants to delay confirming Trumps cabinet and sub-cabinet apointments so as to hamstring him.
Somehow, I don’t think more time will help. New personnel might.
Ryan, you’re FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The GOP needs to find the guys who want to govern like they are the marjority party. Uniparty, Globalist eunuchs are not going to cut it.
“Speaker Ryan told reporters he found the meeting to be “very productive” saying they’d set no deadline to come to a deal, contra to the media narrative suggesting Republicans must move quickly. “We can keep working this for weeks now,” Ryan said. “We’ve got time to figure this out.”
So disappointing and frustrating to read this summary and Ryan statement. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Ryan is showing his true colors. He is not helping nor do I believe he cares for the American people. He’s obstructing pure and simple.
Let’s face it, there is a large number of Republicans who like Obamacare, they were just cowed into opposing it.
You had time, but you rushed it and now nobody trusts you.
The Democrats are insane and the Republicans are morons. Holy cow, how did we descend so far?