Trump backs Republican ACA replacement plan

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President Donald Trump has endorsed the "American Health Care Act," the ACA replacement plan that House Republicans unveiled March 6, reports Reuters.

President Trump said the proposed replacement bill is open to negotiation and added that he is working on a method to lower drug prices, according to the report.

The bill marks a significant step toward fulfilling congressional Republicans' vow to repeal and replace the ACA. However, the GOP faces pressure from Democrats and within their own party not to completely destabilize the U.S. healthcare system and to protect coverage for the millions of people who gained it under former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. 

The ACA allowed about 20 million previously uninsured Americans to gain healthcare coverage since its inception, particularly through Medicaid expansion. Governors in states that expanded Medicaid — even Republicans — have opposed replacement plans that would roll back expansion, according to the report.

On the other hand, some conservative Republican lawmakers complained the House bill didn't go far enough, with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul calling it "ObamaCare Lite" in a tweet, according to the report.

President Trump took to Twitter on the bill as well, calling the draft "our wonderful new Healthcare Bill" and stating that it is "now out for review and negotiation," according to Reuters.

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