ABC News(WASHINGTON) — A number of conservative groups and lawmakers on Capitol Hill have lined up Tuesday against the newly-unveiled GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, saying the Trump administration-backed proposal falls short of their vision for a Republican Obamacare replacement.
House GOP leaders released their much-anticipated proposal Monday evening, ahead of committee markups on Wednesday. They hope to pass the measure — which eliminates Obamacare’s individual mandate and offers a series of tax credits in place of subsidies to help people buy insurance — through the House by the end of the month.
Hard-line Republicans spoke out against the measure soon after its introduction, taking issue with its proposed refundable tax credits and the 30 percent penalty for coverage lapses.
“The problems with this bill are not just what’s in it, but also what’s missing: namely, the critical free-market solution of selling health insurance across state lines,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said in a statement.
“Rather than accept the flawed premises of Obamacare, congressional Republicans should fully repeal the failed law and begin a genuine effort to deliver on longstanding campaign promises that create a free market health care system that empowers patients and doctors,” Heritage Action Chief Executive Officer Mike Needham said.
FreedomWorks, another conservative group, is planning a day of protests against the new proposal later this month.
On Capitol Hill, a number of conservative senators and members of the House Freedom Caucus have also criticized elements of the proposal. Republicans can afford only two defections in the Senate in order to pass the measure if it comes to a party-line vote — which is expected given Democrats’ opposition to the proposals.
“This is not the Obamacare repeal bill we’ve been waiting for. It is a missed opportunity and a step in the wrong direction,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a statement.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Oregon, urged critics during a news conference Tuesday to “actually read the bill.”
When House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, was asked about criticism of the proposal as “Obamacare Lite” and not a real conservative replacement, Brady said, “This is Obamacare gone.”
In a statement Tuesday on behalf of the White House, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price endorsed the legislation.
“Your legislative proposals are consistent with the President’s commitment to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act,” Price said in a letter to Walden and Brady released Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at the White House Tuesday, Price called the bill a “work in progress” when asked if the White House supports the details of the measure. “This is an important process to be had,” he said of the debate and criticism of the bill on Capitol Hill.
President Trump praised the “wonderful” GOP bill in a tweet Tuesday morning, saying it is now “out for review and negotiation.”
Republicans unveiled the bill Monday night without a “score” from the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan cost-estimate that would also project any coverage changes.
Walden told reporters that lawmakers will have and release the CBO score before the full House votes on the measure.
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