The committee voted 19-17 to pass the bill, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting no: Reps. Dave Brat of Virginia, Gary Palmer of Alabama, and Mark Sanford of South Carolina, according to The Washington Post. All three Republican representatives who voted against the motion are part of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of 32 far-right representatives.
Their votes against the AHCA are representative of overall criticisms of the current legislation from conservative Republicans, who want to dismantle the ACA further, according to The Washington Post. The Freedom Caucus plans to submit changes as soon as Friday.
Moderate Republicans will likely have to take these ideas into serious consideration as they will need conservatives on their side to pass the bill. In the House, Republicans cannot have more than 21 members vote against it for it to pass, according to the report.
A full House floor vote is expected next week.
The AHCA will likely also face resistance in the Senate, where members from states that expanded Medicaid are concerned about the proposed cuts to the program. Others are concerned about the estimated 24 million people who will lose insurance coverage under the legislation.
Republican leaders remain optimistic, however, that they can come to agreement.
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