The Notorious 20 House GOP Who Voted Against AHCA

Republicans did vote against the latest American Health Care Act.

EEK!

Who were these people?!

Here are their names (from Heavy.com):

• Andy Biggs (Arizona) – Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona felt that the American Health Care Act does not go far enough in repealing Obamacare. “I have opposed the AHCA from the very beginning because it is not a clean repeal of Obamacare,” he said in a statement. “While I applaud all the hard work of the House Freedom Caucus, which has made every effort in recent weeks to improve this legislation, the final bill unfortunately does not meet the promises I made to my constituents.”

OK. It's not perfect. Neither was the reconciliation bill from 2015.

Biggs is one of the Freedom Caucus members, I believe. He wanted something better than nothing. His steps are pretty well-known, and Republicans in Arizona have had to deal with a diverse and undermining coalition of liberal-leaning Republicans who combine with Democrats to get more moderate-liberal leaning speakers in the past.

There's always more work to be done, though, no doubt.

• Mike Coffman (Colorado) – Congressman Coffman said he opposed the bill because it does not do enough to protect those with pre-existing conditions. “I worry that, under the current language, a small percentage of those with preexisting conditions may not be adequately protected,” he said in a statement. “If House Leadership will work to tighten protections for those with preexisting conditions, I’m a yes on sending this bill to the Senate for further consideration. If not, I’m a no, and we’ll go back to the drawing board to clean up the mess created by the Affordable Care Act.” Clearly, he did not feel the House ended up doing enough to protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Coffman is in a swing district in Colorado, where the Democratic registration exceeds Republican registration by about two-three points. Rocky Mountain Republicans need to work harder and get their act together. Colorado was a reliable Republican strong holder until eight years ago. Get it together!

• Barbara Comstock (Virginia) – Congresswoman Barbara Comstock of Virginia says that Obamacare is in a death spiral, but she’s not convinced that the American Health Care Act will actually lower costs. “While this bill addressed important principles like covering pre-existing conditions and not having lifetime limits imposed on the sick, and reducing costs and increasing choices for many working families, the uncertainties in the current version of the bill caused me not to be able to support it today,” she said in a statement.

She's in a swing district, too, actually, and she is still getting targeted.

• Ryan A. Costello (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania said that the AHCA doesn’t do enough to protect people with pre-existing conditions. “Protections for those with pre-existing conditions without contingency and affordable access to coverage for every American remain my priorities for advancing healthcare reform, and this bill does not satisfy those benchmarks for me,” he said in a statement. “I do believe substantial reforms need to be made to our healthcare system. I will review any future modifications or legislation with these principles in mind, but I remain a no vote on this bill in its current form.”

• Charlie Dent (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Charlie Deny of Pennsylvania said that the AHCA will leave too many people uninsured. “Too many people are going to be losing coverage,” he told CNN. “…Those are my underlying concerns. The new revised version does not address those concerns and that’s why I’m opposed to the bill.”

• Dan Donovan (New York) – Congressman Dan Donovan of New York was not a fan of the fact that the bill exempts New York State counties from contributing to the state’s Medicaid coffers but does not include New York City in that exemption. “The provision excludes New York City, putting an unfair and disproportionate burden on City residents to cover the state’s exorbitant Medicaid expenses,” he said in a statement. “We need healthcare reform – including promised Medicaid reform in New York where we spend more than Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania combined – but it shouldn’t be done on the backs of already overburdened City residents who will undoubtedly have a tax increase forced on them to pay for this eminently unfair policy.”

I am scratching my head as I look at this.

1. He represents a part of New York City. That's a miracal in itself.

2. He wants to make nice with liberal New Yorkers. UGH!

• Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania said that the bill does not adequately address the opioid epidemic. “I have many concerns with this bill, and first among them is the impact on the single most important issue plaguing Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and the issue that I have made my priority in Congress: opioid abuse prevention, treatment and recovery,” he said in a statement.

• Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington) – Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington said that the bill does not provide an adequate safety net for kids who depend on Medicaid. “While I appreciate this week’s effort by Speaker Ryan and his leadership team to better protect older Americans from health care cost increases, the difficulties this bill would create for millions of children were left unaddressed,” she said in a statement. “I’m disappointed that it appears my amendment to strengthen the Medicaid safety net for the kids who depend on it for their health care will not be considered. Protecting vulnerable children is a core purpose of the Medicaid program and when the program fails to do so, it fails entirely. I will not vote to let those kids fall through the cracks.”

"It's about the children!" No, it's about holding onto his house seat. Washingotn State is not a red state. YET.

• Will Hurd (Texas) – Congressman Hurd said in a statement, “Since the implementation of Obamacare, I’ve told my constituents that the only meaningful metric when it comes to healthcare is actual access to quality, affordable care – not just health insurance. While the goal of Obamacare was to make healthcare more accessible and more affordable, it has done just the opposite. Likewise, while the goal of the American Health Care Act was to combat the skyrocketing premiums and outrageous deductibles millions of Americans face, it too, falls short.”

But why, Will, why?

• Walter B. Jones (North Carolina) – Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina said that the bill was rushed and highly flawed, and he added that he has heard loud and clear from his constituents that they don’t like it. “It’s time to scrap this flawed bill and start over,” he said in a statement. “Go out across the country, gather people’s input, and use an open, public process to thoughtfully craft a bill that delivers the relief the American people need.”

Do the right thing, no matter how many constituents scream of yell.

• David Joyce (Ohio) – Congressman Joyce said, “I’m eager to support legislation that doesn’t reduce funding in the Medicare trust fund and actually helps lower healthcare costs for the more than 465,000 people in my district who obtain their health insurance via their employer. Those individuals, who make up 65 percent of the district, have seen nothing but higher premiums, higher deductibles, and higher co-pays. We need to find solutions to help them and their families. The middle class cannot keep bearing the brunt of everything.”

Obamacare already reduced Medicare funding. Do we reallly want to hold onto what is already holding on for dear life? At all?!

• John Katko (New York) – Congressman John Katko said that he felt the AHCA penalizes states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. He also said he was not convinced it will lower costs. “I’m not going to vote for a bill where I don’t know what it looks like until it’s done,” he said, according to Syracuse.com.

Very liberal Republica. Nuff said.

• Leonard Lance (New Jersey) – Congressman Leonard Lance of New Jersey said that the AHCA will not lower costs. “I do not think that it lowers premiums, and I do not think that it covers enough people,” he told NPR. “And I read the CBO report, and I think that we have to move forward in a more bipartisan capacity. For example, I would like to see legislation passed that says we can purchase policy across state lines. That of course will require support from Democratic colleagues. And I challenge Democratic colleagues to come to the table and help repair the ACA.”

Katko.

• Frank A. LoBiondo (New Jersey) – Congressman LoBiondo of New Jersey said that his constituents who rely on Medicare would be harmed under the AHCA. “Under the current proposal, many South Jersey residents would be left with financial hardship or without the coverage they now receive,” he said in a statement. “Our seniors on Medicare already struggle to make each dollar stretch. Three South Jersey counties have more than 30 percent of their residents receiving Medicaid assistance. Medical professionals – our hospitals, doctors, nurses – are opposed.”

See Katko.

• Thomas Massie (Kentucky) – Congressman Massie of Kentucky was very much opposed to the American Health Care Act to the point that he actually said in an interview that it’s worse than Obamacare. According to Politico, he said that the bill relies on “replacing mandates, subsidies and penalties with mandates, subsidies and penalties.” In late March, he jokingly tweeted that he was changing his vote from “No” to “Hell No.”

Very principled freedom fighter. I respect his decision to reject AHCA. Interestingly enough, though, Justin Amash supported it.

• Patrick Meehan (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Meehan of Pennsylvania said in a statement that the AHCA “threatens to send premiums skyrocketing for people with pre-existing conditions,” adding that it will “make coverage more expensive for for older Americans as they near retirement.”

What is it with Pennsylvania? Three of the PA delegation rejected the latest AHCA interation. Hmm...

• Dave Reichert (Washington) – Congressman Reichert just recently announced that he would be voting against the AHCA. “This bill although a good attempt falls short,” he told a reporter on Thursday.

• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida) – Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement, “I will not support a bill that has the potential to severely harm the health and lives of people in South Florida and therefore I remain steadfast in my commitment to vote NO on the AHCA. The recent addition of further funds to high risk pools continues to be inadequate and fails to cover those who need it most. If enacted, the older and poorer South Floridians will be worse off and will find it more difficult to obtain quality healthcare. My constituents should not have to take a step backward in their ability to obtain treatment for any illness and thus, I will vote NO.”

She's worried about the senior citizens rising up against her, especially the liberal ones from New England who migrate and retire in the Sunshine State.

• Christopher H. Smith (New Jersey) – Congressman Smith said that he opposed the bill because of its cuts to Medicaid. “The overriding concern I have is the Medicaid expansion being significantly altered,” Smith told the Asbury Park Press. “It affects so many of our disabled individuals and families, and the working poor.”

Katko Part III.

• Michael R. Turner (Ohio) – Congressman Turner of Ohio simply said in a statement that the AHCA would cause many of his constituents to lose coverage. “After numerous discussions with the White House and the Speaker’s office, in an attempt to improve this bill, including discussions today, I could not support the bill in its current form,” he said in a statement. “This legislation will result in people in my community losing health care coverage. Therefore, I could not support it.”

Sell-out. Who needs him. Get rid of him.