The chairman of the Freedom Caucus on Friday remained resolute in his opposition to Republicans' healthcare legislation, telling CNN that the conservative wing of the House cares only about lowering insurance premiums.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said conservatives can deal with the very public attacks coming from the White House and Republican leadership, but they can't support legislation that isn't any better than Obamacare.
"In the end, I don't work for Washington, D.C., I don't work for the leadership. I work for the American people. … It's all about lowering premiums," Meadows told CNN. "If at the end of the day the Freedom Caucus position of asking for two Obamacare mandates out of 12 to be repealed is an unreasonable request, then the American people are going to have to judge that."
The twp provisions conservatives want repealed, Meadows told CNN:
- Essential health benefits that require insurers to cover maternity, substance abuse, e.g.
- Community rating provision that prevents insurers from setting premiums based on gender and age, e.g.
"The vast majority of the Freedom Caucus would be a 'yes,'" Meadows told CNN, if those demands were met.
The problem for leadership is how many moderate Republicans, then, would be a "no" if those demands were met.
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, another member of the Freedom Caucus, said earlier in the week conservatives would "hold our nose" to pass the American Health Care Act if they simply could get assurances that premiums would come down.
The House was forced to pull its AHCA legislation on March 24 due to a lack of support from Republicans, most acutely the Freedom Caucus.
While first putting blame on Democrats, President Donald Trump shifted gears and directed his critical tweets toward Meadows specifically and conservatives in general.
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