US House lawmakers delay vote on Obamacare replacement

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - House Republicans on Thursday delayed an expected vote on their plan to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's signature health care law, lacking direly-needed votes to pass the legislation.

The fate of the bill backed by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan now hangs in the balance as the GOP seeks to secure support from within its fractured caucus.

A vote is still possible, but the delay signals a stinging defeat for the bill's champions who insisted a vote would go ahead on Thursday.

Just hours before the delay, the White House was adamant it still expected a vote Thursday despite mounting signs the legislation did not have the votes to pass the chamber.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Trump still expected the bill to pass Thursday night, insisting that there was no alternative plan to the divisive American Health Care Act (AHCA).

It's unclear just how many votes short Ryan is, but various outlets placed the number of Republican who have not supported the measure at 28, suggesting much more back-room dealing is needed to ensure the legislation makes its way to the Senate.

Republicans campaigned in last year's election around repealing the Affordable Care Act, and replacing it with a new plan - but the details of the replacement have proven thorny for the the party’s leadership as it tries to get the legislation through Congress.

The AHCA has faced opposition from a unified Democratic Party as well as a cross-section of Republican subgroups: hardline conservatives who see it as "Obamacare lite" and others who say it goes too far to roll back the Affordable Care Act's provisions.

House Freedom Caucus chairman, Republican Mark Meadows, told reporters after he and his conservative cohort met with Trump that there was no deal to gain the group's support -- an ominous sign leading up to the bill's inevitable delay.

Republicans had hoped to have the vote go ahead Thursday in part because it marks the seven-year anniversary of Obama's signing of the Affordable Care Act.

The law ushered in a new era of universal health care in the U.S., but it has recently been beset by mounting complaints of dwindling choices and rising premiums for some Americans.