House Freedom Caucus member Ted Yoho told CNBC on Thursday he will vote against the GOP’s Obamacare replacement without more concessions to get rid of “a growing entitlement.”
The Florida Republican said he prefers a “clean repeal” of former President Barack Obama‘s Affordable Care Act, but he acknowledges it’s a negotiation.
“We’re getting closer,” Yoho said on “Squawk Box.” “I have the utmost confidence in [Freedom Caucus] leadership that we will come out with a bill that the president will sign [and] that the American people will thank us for.”
The House vote is crucial for the Trump agenda. President Donald Trump has said the repeal and replacement of Obamacare must happen before action can be taken on his other plans, including a major tax reduction.
Trump is expected to meet Thursday with the House Freedom Caucus to try to get the conservative group on board, as GOP leaders offered a tweak of their health-care plan Wednesday night to include getting rid of the set of minimum benefits required of insurers.
From the official POTUS account, Trump on Thursday morning tweeted a call to action to Americans in favor of the bill supported by the White House and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
But Yoho said, “If we don’t [really] repeal this, we’re going to be left with a skeleton of the Affordable Care Act.” He claimed the Republican House bill does not go far enough to obliterate Obamacare. “I want to make sure we get rid of a growing entitlement.”
The government already provides health care for veterans through Veterans Affairs, seniors via Medicare, and the poor with Medicaid he said. “They’re unsustainable.”
Leaving the Obamacare “skeleton” in place would send a message the government should have a say in the type of health insurance and coverage Americans must have, Yoho argued.
“That’s an assault on our individual freedoms,” the third-term congressman said. “It’s a Constitutional principle that we need to stand and uphold.”
Yoho said the goal of the Freedom Caucus is to provide Americans with access to care at reasonable prices by allowing “the free market thrive.”