The House Republicans recently cancelled a vote that was planned on the American Health Care Act (AHCA). AHCA is planned to repeal and replace big parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) making use of the budget reconciliation process. Sources said that the vote was canceled, as the House Republicans do not have enough members who were committed to the voting of the AHCA.
The Republican leaders originally planned to conduct the vote on March 23, which was the seventh anniversary day of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, but was unable to schedule a vote as they failed to get the support of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and the support of many moderate members. It is reported that all House Democrats planned to vote against the bill, meaning that all the 215 votes that is necessary to pass the bill should come from the 237 GOP Caucus members.
The House Republican leaders were not able to find enough supporters to pass the bill. Reports say that President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan tried to negotiate support from those members who were not offering their support to both the moderate and conservative wings.
The House Freedom Caucus, which is a group of the most conservative among the members, was able to bag some concessions, like adding a repeal of the health benefit provisions of the Affordable Care Act and demanded for additional concessions.
The moderate ones among the Republicans did not agree with the changes and they want extra protection for persons who bear the increased charges under AHCA. It was impossible for the leaders of the House to go with any of the two ideological groups, without sacrificing the support of the other group. Both these groups had enough votes to prevent the passing of the bill from the votes of the Republicans alone. The vote was then cancelled as it became clear that a compromise was impossible.
In a press conference after the announcement about the cancellation of the voting, House Speaker Ryan said that the Republicans were close to getting the support needed to pass the bill and that their efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will not stop. President Trump also shared the same sentiments in his press conference. Nonetheless, it is not yet clear if the Republicans will continue their efforts to build support for the passing of the AHCA or if they will start everything fresh.
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