On Thursday, May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives voted on the American Health Care Act, a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
The legislation passed 217-213. The Colorado delegation's vote came down largely along party lines, with one notable exception: Republican Congressman Mike Coffman voted against the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. We've compiled how each of Colorado's Congressmen and women voted on the bill. Diana DeGette (D-Denver) - NO Representative DeGette voted against the American Health Care Act, which is not a surprise. She has been one of the most outspoken advocates for the Affordable Care Act and took to the House floor on Thursday to speak out against the repeal and replace legislationJared Polis (D-Boulder) - NO Jared Polis has a signed copy of the Affordable Care Act on his wall, so it is no surprise that Rep. Polis opposed and voted against the GOP's repeal effort. On Twitter, Polis wrote that he was reflecting on the "lives saved from this law [and] what is at stake."#TrumpCare Part 2 is the sequel NOBODY should have to see. I spoke against this bad bill on the House floor today. https://t.co/aYv3bbglQo
— Rep. Diana DeGette (@RepDianaDeGette) May 4, 2017
Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) - YES Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was forced to pull the American Health Care Act from the floor in March when it became clear there were not enough Republican votes for the legislation to pass. Asked afterwards, Rep. Tipton told reporters that he would have voted "No." But he clarified that he was not looking to keep Obamacare on the books. "Here we have too few providers, double-digit rate increases, senior citizens can’t find a doctor,” Tipton explained. “Those problems have not gone away. We do have an obligation to address this.” On Thursday, Tipton voted yes on version two of the American Health Care Act.On my wall I have a signed copy of the #ACA. Today, I contemplate the lives saved from this law & what is at stake. Thx for your 📞,📧, & ✉️. pic.twitter.com/koATKXiTkk
— Rep. Jared Polis (@RepJaredPolis) May 4, 2017
Ken Buck (R-Greeley) - YES Representative Ken Buck voted yes on Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for the Congressman said shortly after the bill's passage that Rep. Buck was satisfied enough with the legislation's last-minute amendments to vote in favor of passage.Today I voted to advance the promise I made to my constituents to drive down the cost of health insurance & bring choice to the market. https://t.co/Z2vKKCiEC0
— Rep. Scott Tipton (@RepTipton) May 4, 2017
Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) - YES
Representative Lamborn excitedly voted for the American Health Care Act. Just before the final vote, Lamborn announced that he was "so excited I can vote for this bill and overturn Obamacare,” Lamborn said. “Obamacare is one of the worst things President Obama ever did and it’s hurt many Americans. And this vote today sets us back on the path of restoring a better health care market for Americans.”
Lamborn released a full statement on his social media accounts shortly after the legislation passed in the House.
Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) - NO Rep. Coffman was one of 20 House Republicans that voted against the American Health Care Act. His primary concern was that the Obamacare replacement measures did not do enough to protect Americans who have pre-existing conditions. In a press release, Coffman said the following:I have voted for a future of improved healthcare access and affordability for all Americans. #AHCA full statement: https://t.co/AOAUoDsTTb pic.twitter.com/MPccaulsii
— Rep. Doug Lamborn (@RepDLamborn) May 4, 2017
“At this time, I cannot support the AHCA with the MacArthur amendment because I’m concerned that a small percentage of those with preexisting conditions may still not be protected. This does not take away from the fact that the Affordable Care Act is failing and American families are hurting. In my conversations with House leadership and the Administration over the last 72 hours, I made it clear that additional language was necessary to protect this vulnerable group. And I'm sympathetic to leadership's challenge -- getting 216 votes in this highly polarized political environment isn’t easy. Also, as I have stated in the past, I’m certainly not going to vote on a bill of this magnitude that hasn't been fully scored by the Congressional Budget Office and whose estimated price tag is unknown.”Ed Perlmutter (D-Lakewood) - NO Representative Perlmutter voted against the American Health Care Act on Thursday. A staunch defender of the Affordable Care Act, Perlmutter disapproved of how the AHCA would force millions of Americans to lose their Obamacare coverage.
Now that the legislation has passed the House of Representatives, it will move on to the Senate. Since the Republican-backed legislation was written as a spending bill, the Senate Parliamentarian has confirmed that it can pass the Senate with just a simple majority. That means that as long as more than two Republican Senators do not vote against the American Health Care Act, it will reach President Trump's desk. Under the Senate Rules, Democrats will be powerless to block a final vote. In 2009, Democratic leaders used a similar parliamentary maneuver to pass Obamacare without the need for a super-majority in the Senate.It’s bad for the 24 million Americans who would lose coverage. It’s bad for rural America. Not sure who this bill is good for…#VoteNoAHCA
— Rep. Ed Perlmutter (@RepPerlmutter) May 4, 2017
