Earlier this morning, Rep Fred Upton (R–Mich.) said he could not support the latest version of the Republican health care plan:
Upton told Michigan’s WHTC that the deal struck to bring on board Freedom Caucus conservatives went against his principles. The amended bill would allow states to waive ObamaCare protections preventing people with from being charged more based on their health, if certain conditions are met to provide coverage in high-risk pools.
“I’m not at all comfortable with removing that protection. I’ve supported the practice of not allowing pre-existing illnesses from being discriminated against from the very get-go,” Upton said in the interview. “This amendment torpedoes that. And I told leadership I cannot support this bill with this provision in it.”
This puts Republicans at a maximum of 216 votes for the bill. One more no vote and it fails1—and since Upton is a respected guy on the right, his no vote will make it a lot easier for other folks on the fence to vote against the bill too.
Unless Paul Ryan pulls some kind of miraculous rabbit out of his hat, this is the death knell. Once again, TrumpCare is dead. This time for good, I imagine.
1There are currently four vacancies in the House, so it has 431 members. The cutoff point for a majority is 216 votes.
