Republicans delay vote on 'Trumpcare' after struggling to reach agreement on the bill

Multiple sources told Business Insider the Thursday vote on the House Republicans health care reform bill would be postponed after party leaders failed to reach an agreement on the bill.

One of the sources, who spoke with multiple Hill Republicans, said the vote on the American Health Care Act — the GOP leadership's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare —would be pushed to a later date.

The impasse between Republicans came as hardline conservative members of the GOP in the House Freedom Caucus demanded more concessions on repealing parts of Obamacare, while moderate Republicans balked at those aggressive changes.

After meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, House Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows said that there was no deal agreed to and that the GOP did not have enough votes to pass the bill.

One of Business Insider's sources said the breakdown is over the Freedom Caucus' desire to repeal essential health benefits — part of Obamacare that mandated insurers cover basic health procedures such as prenatal care and preventative health services.

Reportedly, the Freedom Caucus wanted this to be repealed and even pushed for a repeal of the ACA's provisions preventing insurers from denying patients based on a preexisting condition.

At the same time, moderate Republicans were worried that the concessions went too far and a handful came out against the bill for being too severe.

House Speaker Paul Ryan had scheduled a press conference at 3:30 p.m. ET, but it has been postponed. Official word on whether or not the vote will be delayed is expected at the meeting. Soon after Ryan's press conference was postponed, a number of outlets reported that the vote would be pushed back to a later date.

Reuters reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators not to expect a vote on the bill until Monday, citing senior Senate aides.

Earlier Thursday, Republican Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee told reporters that the vote will not happen Thursday after meeting with committee chairs and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Roe told reporters that he expects the vote to be on Friday.

Ryan has consistently said that the vote would be on Thursday, and even White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he expected the vote would continue as scheduled during his Thursday afternoon press briefing. Business Insider reached out to the several top House Republicans, but none immediately responded to requests for comment.

According to the New York Times, which has been tracking public statements regarding the vote, 31 House GOP members are against the AHCA with 15 more expressing doubts about the bill. In order for the bill to pass, a maximum of 22 Republicans can vote against it.

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