(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency)
Washington, March 24 (QNA) - US President Donald Trump is urging a vote in the House of Representatives on the American Health Care Act on Friday after the vote was postponed Thursday due to a lack of sufficient support to pass it.
According to the Washington Post, he delivered an ultimatum: 'pass the bill or he will move on from the repeal-and-replace cause.' The American Healthcare Act is intended to replace parts of President Barack Obama's signature "Obamacare" law.
House Speaker Paul Ryan will call the vote on Friday after a series of negotiations took place with Trump and his aides on Thursday.If the bill doesn't pass Friday, Trump is ready to move on and Republicans will be "stuck with Obamacare," the CNN reported.
US House Speaker Paul Ryan said: "For seven-and-a-half years we have been promising the American people that we will repeal and replace this broken law because it's collapsing and it's failing families, and tomorrow we're proceeding." According to CNN, 27 House Republicans have said they will vote against the bill and four more have indicated they are likely to oppose it. Republicans can't lose more than 21 members of their caucus and still pass the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it.
A new estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (COB) said changes Republicans made earlier this week to the bill will actually only decrease federal deficits by $150 billion over 10 years, while the original measure would have lowered deficits by $337 billion.
The measure still would leave 24 million fewer people insured by 2026 than under Obamacare, CBO said.Obamacare helped 20 million previously uninsured Americans get health insurance but has been plagued by increases in insurance premiums, which were also a problem before the health law.
The number of uninsured Americans would rise to 24 million by 2026 under the new law, the budget analysis said.Groups representing doctors, hospitals and the elderly have said they are opposed to the Republican bill. (QNA)
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