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Republicans are struggling to unite around 'Trumpcare' and now the vote could be postponed

Mar 24, 2017, 00:40 IST

Donald Trump meets with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan on Capitol Hill in Washington.REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

A Thursday vote on the House Republicans health care reform bill is in doubt as the party struggles to round up support.

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House Speaker Paul Ryan has scheduled a press conference at 3:30 p.m. ET which will likely provide official word on whether or not the vote will be delayed.

Already, Republican Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee told reporters that the vote on the American Health Care Act - the GOP leadership's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare - will not happen on Thursday after meeting with committee chairs and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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

Additionally, a plugged in Washington source who spoke with multiple Hill Republicans told Business Insider the vote will not be happening Thursday and will be pushed to a later date.

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.

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The impasse between Republicans came on Thursday 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.

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Reportedly, the Freedom Caucus wanted this to be repealed and even pushed for a repeal of the ACA's provisions preventing insurers from denying patients based on a preexisting condition.

This is a developing story...

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