A four-member task force from the House of Representatives appointed to develop a replacement for the Affordable Care Act has promised an alternative ahead of the GOP convention July 18.
One member of the committee, House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said this week, "Give us a little time, another month or so," according to The Hill. "I think we'll be pretty close to a Republican alternative."
Rep. Upton also said the group is still in "listening mode," according to the report, presumably gathering research to create a plan. The Task Force on Health Care Reform also includes Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.),
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas). The task force was created in January by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to "modernize American healthcare with patient-centered solutions that improve access, choice and quality, lower costs, promote innovation and strengthen the safety net for the most vulnerable," according to the group's mission statement.
However, many Democrats and Republicans alike are skeptical the group can craft a solution in just a few months when the GOP has been unable to produce a solution in six years. Republican lawmakers have voted more than 50 times in the House to repeal the ACA, and not once on a bill to replace it, according to The Hill.
Those doubtful an alternative bill will surface from the effort are probably right. Even Speaker Ryan's office said an actual legislative text is not necessary to outline a plan, according to the report.
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