Influential Republican attacks party’s new health care bill
WASHINGTON — The former chairman of one of the House committees that drafted legislation to repeal and replace large parts of the health care law came out against a new version of the bill Tuesday, saying the measure now “torpedoes” protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, who chaired the House Energy and Commerce Committee as the health care law repeal movement built steam, declared on a local radio show, “I cannot support the bill with this provision in it,” just as House Speaker Paul Ryan was insisting the legislation would protect the sick.
The loss of Upton, an influential Republican voice on health care, was a huge blow, and it came as Republican leaders faced an onslaught of advocacy groups, political attack ads and even a late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, saying the bill would harm the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
A tearful Kimmel on
Monday night offered up the story of his infant son’s near-death heart surgery, followed by an appeal to Congress not to undermine the health care law’s ban on discrimination against people with pre-existing medical conditions. After Kimmel’s monologue went viral on the internet, former President Barack Obama piled on, tweeting, “Well said, Jimmy. That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy.”
Upton was explicit: The concessions made to win over hard-line conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus were costing the leadership support from moderate Republicans.
“I’m not at all comfortable with removing that protection,” Upton said of the pre-existing condition concession.
Ryan insisted Republicans were “making very good progress,” but he offered no indication of when a vote might be held on the measure.