Policy

House passes ACA replacement in 217-213 vote

The votes are in, and the House has narrowly passed the AHCA, the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace the ACA. Next stop? The Senate.

By Erin Dietsche on May 04, 2017

ahca, american health care act, obamacare repeal, repeal and replace

The nation has been anxiously anticipating a vote on the American Health Care Act, the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. And now the votes are in: The House has voted “yes.”

The vote was close: 217 to 213, according to The Hill. Twenty Republicans voted “no,” while zero Democrats voted “yes,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

But it still comes as a victory for House Republicans, who fought tooth and nail to scrap Obamacare. The AHCA bill was pulled in March when House Republican leaders failed to secure the necessary amount of votes for its passage. But it was recently resurrected, along with multiple changes to the original version.

And its passage today means the AHCA is moving on to the Senate.

Here’s what happened when the bill passed in the House:

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While the House was busy voting, #VoteNoAHCA was trending on Twitter, with even some members of Congress weighing in:

Others, however, were not on the #VoteNoAHCA train:

The opinions didn’t stop coming after the bill passed. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said she was pleased with the bill’s passage:

Today is the first of what I am confident will be many historic days ahead as we move toward patient-centered healthcare instead of government-centered healthcare.

I have worked in the field of Medicaid for 20 years and have heard from many mothers like myself who have shared their struggles and their hopes for a more affordable, more sustainable healthcare system.  It is important that our most vulnerable citizens, the aged, the infirm, the blind and the disabled have more choices, greater access and peace of mind when it comes to their healthcare.

The bill that was passed today is a great first step achieving this goal.

But numerous organizations are of a different mind. In a statement, American Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Gurman said:

The bill passed by the House today will result in millions of Americans losing access to quality, affordable health insurance and those with pre-existing health conditions face the possibility of going back to the time when insurers could charge them premiums that made access to coverage out of the question. Action is needed, however, to improve the current health care insurance system. The AMA urges the Senate and the Administration to work with physician, patient, hospital and other provider groups to craft bipartisan solutions so all American families can access affordable and meaningful coverage, while preserving the safety net for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Mary Norine Walsh, president of the American College of Cardiology, expressed a similar sentiment: “The American College of Cardiology opposes the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in its current form, and is disappointed by its passage today in the U.S. House of Representatives. As it stands, the AHCA would allow states to bypass existing federal protections for sick and elderly people, and potentially undermine coverage for critical services for patients with heart disease.”

Though the AHCA made its way through the House, we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the Senate.

Photo: designer491, Getty Images