Trump just scored a big win with the conservatives who killed his healthcare bill

pulse

April 26, 2017 6:24 PM

"The House Freedom Caucus has taken an official position in support of the current proposal," said a statement from the group in support of the AHCA.

Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina

The conservative House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday reversed course and said it was on board with the latest iteration of a Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

The caucus said the recently added, so-called MacArthur amendment to the American Health Care Act satisfied the group's conditions for supporting the bill.

"Over the past couple of months, House conservatives have worked tirelessly to improve the American Health Care Act to make it better for the American people," the statement said. "Due to improvements to the AHCA and the addition of Rep. Tom MacArthur's proposed amendment, the House Freedom Caucus has taken an official position in support of the current proposal."

The Freedom Caucus, a block of roughly 35 House Republicans, did not support the original AHCA. Its lack of support contributed heavily to the bill's being pulled from the House floor.

The MacArthur amendment, released Tuesday, would allow states to receive waivers to avoid certain regulations established by Obamacare, the healthcare law officially known as the Affordable Care Act. Critics have expressed concern that through the waivers states would allow insurers to charge more for people with preexisting conditions and offer lower standards of care in their plans.

These waivers have also drawn criticism of moderate GOP members, whose support for the new version of the AHCA, also known as "Trumpcare," remains unclear.

In addition to the Freedom Caucus, the new amendment has also won over conservative advocacy groups, like the Club for Growth and Heritage Action, that originally opposed the AHCA.

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