Rep. Jim Jordan: ‘Progress being made’ on health care, but ‘we’ll see’ if we get agreement

Rep. Jim Jordan, a past chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, on Thursday said there’s “progress being made” on health care, as President Trump and House Republican leadership try to round up last-minute votes for the GOP’s bill repealing parts of Obamacare.

“I think there’s progress being made, but we’ll see if we can actually get an agreement that’s going to do what we’ve always had as the goal and frankly, as we’ve said before…what the American people sent us here to accomplish, which is repeal it and bring down the cost of insurance,” Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, said on CNN’s “New Day.”

Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with members of the Freedom Caucus at the White House Thursday morning.

One last-minute change to the bill reportedly being floated to woo more conservatives is to strip out the essential benefits provision of Obamacare that requires most insurance plans to cover certain items, such as maternity care and emergency services.

Conservatives say coverage that’s more tailored to individuals’ needs, rather than across-the-board requirements, could help lower costs.

But Democrats say inserting such a provision would run afoul of the rules governing the Senate process that limit the extent to which non-budget items can be considered.

Any changes made to win over conservatives at this point also run the danger of alienating other members. Rep. Charlie Dent, a leader of a group of moderate Republicans in the House, announced late Wednesday he’s opposed to the House Republican bill.