For some conservative lawmakers, GOP healthcare bill is 'ObamaCare by a different form'

House Republicans finally released their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and several conservative lawmakers aligned with the Freedom Caucus are not impressed.
The bill, dubbed the American Health Care Act, offers health care tax credits and continues Medicaid expansion for three years, among other provisions. "This is ObamaCare by a different form," Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told Politico. "They're still keeping the taxes in place and Medicaid expansion, and they're starting a new entitlement." The Freedom Caucus' current chairman, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-S.C.), said on Fox News the biggest concern he has is if the bill will lower health care costs, and "until we get that answer, we have to hold out judgment."
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), a member of the Freedom Caucus, told Politico he will not vote for the bill in its current structure because it "maintains many of the federal features including a new entitlement program as well as most of the insurance regulations," adding that he has "seen no evidence that this bill will bring the cost curve down." House Republican leaders are bracing for conservatives and moderates to oppose the measure, and can lose no more than 22 votes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On the Senate side, four Republican senators told Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday they will not vote for any ACA repeal bill that eliminates Medicaid expansion. In a letter to McConnell, Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said they "believe Medicaid needs to be reformed, but reform should not come at the cost of disruption in access to healthcare for our country's most vulnerable and sickest individuals." All four of the senators represent Medicaid expansion states.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 - 21 February
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tash Aw picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends From Baldwin to Chekhov, the Malaysian writer shares his top picks
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: flats and houses in university towns
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in York, Durham and Bath
By The Week UK Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes risk
Speed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published