The House on Thursday narrowly approved a GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, breaking a months-long partisan logjam and sending the highly controversial measure to an uncertain future in the Senate.
The 217 to 213 vote marked a major legislative victory for President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who overcame unanimous opposition from the Democrats and many more moderate Republicans who fear that the plan will disrupt the nation’s health care system and cost millions of their constituents their Obamacare and Medicaid coverage.
Just when it seemed the House GOP American Health Care Act (AHCA) was about to fail for the third time in little more than a month, last minute agreements, including an additional $8 billion for people with pre-existing medical conditions, helped to unite the party. The final vote was a nailbiter, and the Republicans picked up just one more vote than the 216 needed for passage.
– The Fiscal Times