Republicans don’t really like the health care bill they just passed But many lawmakers see the legislation as the best chance to get momentum to repeal Obamacare.

Republicans are excited about repealing Obamacare. They are not as excited about their legislation that will do it.

The House passed the American Health Care Act on Thursday afternoon by a razor-thin margin of 217-213 after Speaker Paul Ryan and his deputies engaged in an aggressive whipping operation, with President Donald Trump working the phones to move fellow Republicans into the “yes” category.


But Republicans have been saying this particular bill was set to pass because it’s a now-or-never situation — especially after the embarrassing collapse of the first effort in March — and they’re been finding solace in the idea that the legislation won't be the final product anyway.

Rep. Luke Messer, an Indiana Republican, called it a "green flag" and a "start."

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) also pushed the idea that Republicans just need to pull the trigger on this bill because it will change. “This thing is going to go to the United States Senate. It’s going to change in my view,” he said on NPR. “At some point you just have to move, and we think this is it. This will create some momentum.”

"We like the fact that it needs to be repealed," said Scott Reed, chief strategist at the Chamber of Commerce, when asked whether they support the legislation. "... We need to move the process forward."

In many ways, Republicans appear to be operating in the dark about the AHCA. There have been very few hearings. The full bill text was only unveiled hours before the vote. The Congressional Budget Office didn't have time to finish its study of the legislation. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday it is "literally impossible" to judge the impact of the bill. For his part, Trump, in interviews and conversations with associates, has seemed to care little about what the legislation says.

The bill is opposed by an overwhelming majority of medical groups, advocates, senior citizen organizations and health policy experts — even Republican ones — who fear millions will lose health care or be forced to pay more. Even supporters hold their noses when talking about it.

"The resulting legislation might not be anyone’s ideal," said the National Retail Federation, announcing its support.

But prominent Republicans have been upbeat in their sales pitch. While whipping votes, Ryan has given the legislation lavish praise. Spicer said the bill is "unbelievable" during his daily news briefing on Wednesday. He has said the president has grown happier with the legislation.

To be sure, the AHCA does much of what Republicans want — particularly reducing government mandates on health care. And even former President Barack Obama's fervent supporters admit the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature legislation, has problems that need to be fixed.

But inside the White House, senior administration officials say no one "really loves the legislation," in the words of one official. Trump has expressed misgivings — particularly over fears that people will lose health care and blame him. He has spoken more about blasting Obamacare than selling his own legislation, barely bringing up the new plan at a rally last Saturday night, and only at the very end of his speech.

Leadership aides have described the legislation more in practical terms — let's get it done — than wow, this is good. White House officials have argued to lawmakers that the bill will look totally different in the Senate and they just need political momentum. "Everyone knows this won't be the final product," one senior administration official said. "So if you don't like something, it's fine."

"We have to have a win on this," this official said. "We don't have a choice."

Joe Antos, a health care expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, said hardly anyone is pleased with the bill. Trade groups for hospitals, doctors, nurses and patient advocates have spent months warning that Republicans' legislation would unwind the Affordable Care Act's protections for millions of Americans. And the last-minute changes to shore up votes have only made things worse, they say.

Conservative groups have been pushed to support the bill, and have done so with reservations. Many of them, including the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity, say it needs changes in the Senate — and they hope it will look differently. “To be clear, this is not full repeal and it is not what Republicans campaigned on or outlined in the Better Way agenda,” Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham said last week.

Moderates have been whipped this week into supporting the legislation — but many do not like it and want to see it changed. Some moderates have even released scorching statements.

“If enacted, the older and poorer South Floridians will be worse off and will find it more difficult to obtain quality health care," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a South Florida Republican.

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The Senate will have plenty of time because they must wait for the CBO to score the bill — before they can start rewriting it.

"The problem is they're voting on a bill that will not make it to the president's office,” Antos said, while adding, “It could facilitate some bill making it to the president's desk.”

