Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, says Republicans are "close" to reaching a deal to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The announcement came weeks after Republicans failed to garner enough votes within their own party to pass the American Health Care Act, the name of the bill House Republican leaders introduced to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare.
Meadows himself opposed the AHCA but the caucus he chairs declined to take an official stance on the legislation, urging each of its members to do what was best for their constituents. The majority of the House Freedom Caucus's members opposed the bill, even calling it "Obamacare lite."
Now, it appears as though establishment Republicans and House Freedom Caucus members may be closer than ever to actually doing what they've promised for seven years.
"We're very close," Meadows told WHKP-AM, referring to the likelihood of Republicans ironing out a deal on health care.
"The biggest thing for all of us is we want to make sure we don't just have repeal, but we have a replacement that drives down insurance premiums," Meadows added, according to the Hill.
Congress is in recess both this week and next week, but make no mistake: Members are still hard at work drafting a replacement bill.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy even warned his Republican colleagues that members could be called back to Washington, D.C., for a vote on the legislation if Republicans happen to strike a deal before the recess ends.
"It's our encouragement to have a vote as soon as we possibly can, even perhaps before we return back to D.C. in 13 days," Meadows said.
