House to vote today on health legislation

WASHINGTON — The House will vote today on the GOP's long-sought legislation to repeal and replace portions of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, Republican leaders announced Wednesday. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy confidently predicted success after a day of wrangling votes and personal arm-twisting by President Donald Trump.

After an earlier bill failed to attract enough votes, a successful outcome would be the culmination of seven years’ worth of promises by Republicans to undo Obama’s signature legislative achievement, but it also could expose House Republicans to political blowback by endorsing a bill that boots millions off the insurance rolls.

And there’s no guarantee that the bill, if passed by the House today, will become law. First, the Senate must work its will, and the legislation has generated significant opposition there. Still, victory in the House would provide a congressional victory for Trump.

McCarthy’s announcement Wednesday came at the end of a day in which House GOP leaders and Trump agreed to changes that brought two pivotal Republicans back on board. Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan and Billy Long of Missouri emerged from a White House meeting with Trump saying they could now support the bill, thanks to the addition of $8 billion over five years to help people with preexisting conditions.

“‘We need you, we need you, we need you,’” Long described the message from Trump.

GOP leaders spent the day hunting votes among wary moderates. GOP leaders can lose only 22 from their ranks and still pass the bill, and an Associated Press tally found 19 opposed.

The latest iteration of the bill would let states escape a requirement under Obama’s law that insurers charge healthy and seriously ill customers the same rates. Overall, the legislation would cut the Medicaid program for the poor, eliminate Obama’s fines for people who don’t buy insurance and provide generally skimpier subsidies.

The American Medical Association, AARP and other consumer and medical groups are opposed. The AMA issued a statement saying that Upton’s changes “tinker at the edges without remedying the fundamental failing of the bill — that millions of Americans will lose their health insurance as a direct result.”

If the bill becomes law, congressional analysts estimate that 24 million more Americans would be uninsured by 2026, including 14 million by next year.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, remained undecided on the proposal, according to his chief of staff, and was waiting to see its details.

Turner opposed the earlier incarnation because he did not think it did enough to protect Ohioans who benefit from the Medicaid expansion.

Democrats stand firmly united against the bill, but they generally applauded a separate $1.1 trillion spending measure to keep the government running, which passed the House on Wednesday by a bipartisan vote of 309-118.

Trump and GOP leaders hailed it as a victory, citing increases in money for the military. But the president himself has undermined that message by complaining over Twitter about the need for Democratic votes on the bill and suggesting that a “good shutdown” might be

in order this fall.

Some Republicans were not on-message either after top Democrats successfully blocked Trump’s mostcontroversial proposals, including a down payment on his Mexico border wall.

“From my point of view, we pretty well got our clock cleaned,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

The measure now heads to the Senate, which is expected to approve it. Despite his complaints, Trump has promised to sign it.

Seven Ohio Republicans voted against the bill: Reps. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth; Bob Latta of Bowling Green; Brad Wenstrup of Cincinnati; Jim Jordan of Urbana; Warren Davidson of Troy; Bob Gibbs of Lakeville; and Steve Chabot of Cincinnati.

“Why do a four-month bill if we weren’t going to fight for the things we campaigned on, the things the voters elected us to do?” Jordan said.

Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington and Pat Tiberi of Genoa Township joined three other Ohio Republicans — and all four Ohio Democrats — in backing the bill.

— $152 million this year, $6 million more than last year