House Appropriations Committee Chairman Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) released a statement this morning announcing his opposition to Paul Ryan's Trumpcare bill.
“Seven years after enactment of Obamacare, I wanted to support legislation that made positive changes to rescue healthcare in America.
“Unfortunately, the legislation before the House today is currently unacceptable as it would place significant new costs and barriers to care on my constituents in New Jersey. In addition to the loss of Medicaid coverage for so many people in my Medicaid-dependent state, the denial of essential health benefits in the individual market raise serious coverage and cost issues."
“I remain hopeful that the American Health Care Act will be further modified. We need to get this right for all Americans.”
It appears that the last-minute gambit to repeal Obamacare's coverage requirements, otherwise known as "essential health benefits," may have backfired.
Under the current bill, insurance would be required to cover almost nothing. And that also doesn't appear to have swayed more than a handful of Freedom Caucus members while turning off a new crop of relatively moderate Republicans.
The Appropriations Committee is responsible for a substantial amount of federal spending and it's significant that the committee chairman opposes Trumpcare, far more significant than your average member.
Speaker Paul Ryan is meeting at the White House this afternoon where he will reportedly tell Trump he doesn't have enough votes.
It looks like Obamacare will survive, but I don't want to jinx it. We'll find out today.