US House Approves Health Care Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a Republican bill to repeal and replace large parts of the nation’s health care law.

Six weeks after it was left for dead, lawmakers debated the merits of the measure, which was set for a vote after it was amended Wednesday to add a modest $8 billion dollars to help people with pre-existing health conditions.

After negotiating the terms of the amendment with President Trump at the White House, two prominent moderate Republicans, Fred Upton and Billy Long, reversed course and threw their support behind their party’s health care bill.

Rep. Billy Long, second from right, speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, May 3, 2017. From left are, Rep. Michael Burgess, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Rep. Greg Walden.

Upton’s reversal was particularly significant because he is a respected voice on health care issues and former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Republican Congressman David Brat was asked Thursday if he was concerned millions of Americans would become financially insolvent if they lost medical coverage, as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted would occur if an earlier version of the bill became law.

“I have major concerns about people going broke because this country has turned toward socialism away from free markets,” Brat said.

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said she “almost” welcomed the pre-vote debate, describing it as a “great civics lesson for America.”