Republicans Pull Health Care Vote At The Last Minute

The American Health Care Act is dead, thanks to a growing list of defecting Congresspeople. What just happened?

Republicans in the House of Representatives have just canceled a vote on Trump’s health care replacement plan. The American Health Care Act, or AHCA, was slated to replace the American Care Act (ACA), also popularly known as “Obamacare”.

Now, the fate of Americans’ health care seems more cloudy than ever. Robert Costa, a noted political analyst and reporter, was one of the first to break the news on Twitter.

His tweets, in order:

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan broadcast his press conference on Facebook Live. As you may already know, the streaming platform allows users’ emoji reactions to float across the screen. The result, as well the comments, were not exactly flattering to Ryan.

The reaction to Speaker Paul Ryan’s press conference regarding the AHCA vote (Screencap via Facebook Live feed)

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ACA And AHCA Butt Heads

Obamacare, which has now run for eight years, is no stranger to controversy. While it provided additional protections for women’s health and individuals with preexisting conditions, others complained of rising premiums and a confusing healthcare market. Some critics were especially harsh on perceived government meddling in what they felt should be an independent health care industry.

Trump, meanwhile, made a campaign promise that he would repeal the divisive health care act. His replacement, the AHCA, was introduced on March 20. However, the AHCA itself quickly became the subject of intense and varied critique. Some estimated that nearly 24 million people would lose coverage if the AHCA were to pass.

Others, including Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), complained that the bill needed to be more conservative in order to lower insurance premiums.

To that effect, an amendment was added to the bill Wednesday evening in an apparent attempt to court votes. This amendment cut essential health benefits, a major ACA provision that provides for maternity care, mental health treatment, preventive services, and more.

As of now, the AHCA is not officially dead. Rather, the vote on it has been canceled. Conveniently enough, this move saves Republican politicians in more moderate districts from making a difficult vote.

Such a decision, if and when it comes, stands to make or break a political career. During his press conference, Speaker Ryan stated that “this is not the end of the story.” However, the future of the AHCA and its successors looks bleak.

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A Big Blow To The GOP

Nevertheless, this is a major blow for both the Trump administration and the GOP establishment. Trump repeatedly promised that he would rid us of the ACA, and yet it currently stands. For someone who projected the image of a competent businessman and deal broker, this is a black mark indeed. It does nothing to shore up his already scanty political background.

Republicans are feeling the sting as well. Given that the party controls all of Congress as well as the White House, this is a blow to their foundation. Lawmakers likely expected that they would be able to carry on with their campaign promises unimpeded. Instead, they are facing significant opposition from center and center-right compatriots.

When GOP politicians look at their constituents (not to mention the number of interns occupied by a flood of phone calls), they must feel trapped. Do they vote for an increasingly controversial piece of legislation? What if their constituents change their votes?

On the other hand, do they dare place themselves in opposition to a seemingly volatile executive branch? At the very least, the specter of the 2018 elections must loom over all of them.

Next: Samantha Bee Tries to Figure Out What is Happening with Trump

What’s next? Trump claims that he’s open to a bipartisan deal, but we have no idea what that might look like. Whether or not that deal will be “beautiful”, as he says, remains to be seen. What is sure, however, is the clear and obvious discontent brewing in D.C. and beyond.