US Congress(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Paul Ryan encouraged Republicans Tuesday to continue renewed health care discussions, but refused to lay out a timeline for a vote on the measure two weeks after GOP leaders first scrapped plans for a House floor vote.
“I don’t want to put some kind of an artificial deadline because we’re at that conceptual stage,” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters at the Capitol. “We have very productive conversations occurring among our members.”
He continued, “We’re throwing around concepts to improve the bill. That’s occurring right now, but that is not to say that we are ready to go. Because we want to make sure that when we go, we have the votes to pass this bill.”
Ryan’s comments follow a series of meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House between House Republicans and top administration officials on health care, including Vice President Mike Pence, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
On Monday night, Pence, Mulvaney and Priebus met with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to discuss some proposed changes to the failed GOP health care bill.
Republicans are discussing a proposal that would allow states to opt out of compliance with several Obamacare regulations, including the essential health benefits provision — which requires health insurance plans to cover 10 categories of care, including mental health treatment and prescription drugs — and the community ratings mandate, which prevents health insurers from charging older and sicker consumers more than younger, healthier Americans.
Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a House Energy and Commerce Committee member who met with officials at the White House on Monday, said some members do not want to give states the ability to waive the provision.
It’s not clear if the changes, which conservatives say would help lower premiums, would be palatable to moderate Republicans in the House who initially opposed the bill.
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