March 2017
This week, the Republican ACA repeal and replace bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), continued to advance through the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill passed the House Budget Committee, chaired by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), by a slim 19 – 17 vote after three committee Republicans, Reps. Brat (R-VA), Palmer (R-AL) and Sanford (R-SC) — all members of the Conservative House Freedom Caucus — voted against it. The committee passed a number of nonbinding recommendations to the bill, including measures to lower the income threshold for the bill's tax credits for the purchase of health insurance, making additional spending reductions to Medicaid and work requirements for "able-bodied" Medicaid recipients. The next step for the bill is consideration by the House Rules Committee before it is sent to the full House floor for votes.
