• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
HealthDonald Trump

GOP Splinters on Obamacare Replacement Ahead of Trump’s Address to Congress

By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 28, 2017, 2:44 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

There’s an elephant in the room for the party of elephants, and its name is Obamacare.

You’d think that the GOP would be speeding through a structured dismantling of the health law they’ve been maligning for the better part of a decade given the party’s control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. But Republicans are decidedly split on how to proceed as President Donald Trump is slated to give his first-ever address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

Congressional leaders including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly want Trump to offer more details on health care policy and an Obamacare replacement strategy in his speech, according to CNN. Specifically, they want him to come out and endorse the House’s recently-leaked Obamacare replacement blueprint.

It’s not hard to see why. On Monday, two powerful conservative leaders in the House declared the blueprint unacceptable because it relies on giving people refundable tax credits to purchase insurance – a policy mechanism that, in a very rough sense, resembles Obamacare’s subsidies to buy mandated health coverage (and is therefore being slammed by conservatives as just another entitlement program).

“There are serious problems with what appears to be our current path to repeal and replace Obamacare,” said Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, who leads an influential 170-member bloc of conservative lawmakers called the Republican Study Committee, adding that he could not “in good conscience” vote for such policies. Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows said he’d also oppose the plan.

Click here to subscribe to Brainstorm Health Daily, our brand new newsletter about health innovations.

The ideological tug-of-war between the GOP’s various factions highlights why former House Speaker John Boehner recently said that a wide-ranging repeal-and-replace is “not what’s going to happen.”

“In the 25 years that I served in the United States Congress, Republicans never, ever one time agreed on what a healthcare proposal should look like. Not once,” said Boehner during a health care conference in Florida.

But House leadership tried to quash the intra-party tension narrative in a slew of statements Tuesday. “[The blueprint is] no longer even a viable draft that we’re working off of,” said Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the House’s number three Republican. “I feel at the end of the day when we get everything done and right, we’re going to be unified on this,” Speaker Paul Ryan asserted during a Tuesday press conference.

The implication is that (not-so) small quibbles over measures such as the tax credits won’t ultimately derail the overall repeal-and-replace strategy. After all, the blueprint contains a host of policies long sought by conservatives, including nixing Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, an expansion of health savings accounts that individuals can contribute to, rolling back the health law’s various mandates and taxes, and dismantling the essential health benefits package that insurers had to provide under Obamacare.

But there are still many open questions about what effect such changes will have on insurance markets and Americans’ health care costs. For instance, it’s unclear how preserving guaranteed insurance eligibility for people with pre-existing medical conditions can work without the unpopular coverage mandate (since people could then just buy insurance when they get sick, bankrupting insurers), or how governments would fund historically pricey “high-risk pools” for the sickest Americans. Depending on the final policy ingredient list, the individual insurance market could actually become even more expensive and tumultuous, including in the regions where Obamacare was actually working well.

Then there’s the issue of what Trump himself wants. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has told Congressional leaders that the White House is largely on board with the House GOP’s blueprint. But Trump has presented a scattershot list of ideas when it comes to health care. He’s endorsed policies like direct drug price negotiation in Medicare (usually a Democratic wish list item that’s despised by drug makers) while simultaneously promising to slash other regulations on the biopharma industry; he famously promised “insurance for everybody” yet ostensibly supports benefit cuts and a rollback of the Medicaid expansion, which has covered millions of the poorest Americans. Just how much detail Trump will present in tonight’s speech – or whether he’ll stick to a more vague “rally around the leader” approach to galvanize the legislative troops – is unclear.

In a meeting with major health insurance company CEOs Monday, the president employed his well-known penchant for bombast, promising a “fantastic” replacement plan that the industry would love. “A very competitive plan, costs will come down, health care will go up very substantially. People will like it a lot,” he said while slamming Obamacare’s affect on health care.

It’s one thing to make those aspirational claims. But the actual policy details will determine their viability. We’ll find out soon enough if we’re getting some tonight.

About the Author
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

The 6 Best Exercise Bikes of 2026: Fitness Expert Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
The 6 Best Exercise Bikes of 2026: Fitness Expert Reviewed
By Christina SnyderJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
kean
PoliticsCongress
Tom Kean discloses depression diagnosis behind 4-month absence from Congress: ‘until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand’
By Mike Catalini, Joey Cappelletti and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
1 day ago
‘Cop on your wrist’: Wearables offer tons of data, but people are still going to sleep to Netflix and TikTok
HealthBrainstorm Tech
‘Cop on your wrist’: Wearables offer tons of data, but people are still going to sleep to Netflix and TikTok
By Amanda GerutJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
usa
EnvironmentHeat
Long and dangerous heat wave to roast America from Dallas to New York through July 4th holiday
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
France suffers 1,000 additional deaths in just the past week amid record heat wave—and 85% involved people aged 65 and above
EuropeWeather and forecasting
France suffers 1,000 additional deaths in just the past week amid record heat wave—and 85% involved people aged 65 and above
By Kirsten Grieshaber, John Leicester and The Associated PressJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
Peter Rahal speaks on stage in front of a black and purple background.
RetailFood and drink
David Protein CEO says ‘diet trends are over’ because of GLP-1s: ‘What’s next is really hard to predict’
By Sasha RogelbergJune 28, 2026
4 days ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.