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Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
Updated 2:25 p.m.
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill, 217-213, that would dismantle the Affordable Care Act and change the American healthcare system as we know it.
Last time the legislation — the Donald Trump-endorsed bill known as the American Health Care Act — came up, the Pennsylvania delegation in Washington wasn’t exactly feeling it. But after several amendments were made and with the House hurtling toward taking a vote, some came around
Of Pennsylvania’s 18-person congressional delegation, four out of the state’s 13 Republicans voted “no,” along with five “no” votes from the Democrats. That left nine Republicans from Pennsylvania voting in favor of the legislation. Here’s a breakdown of every Pennsylvania representative and how he voted:
Lou Barletta
Party: Republican
Where he represents: 11th district of PA, which includes parts of the central-eastern part of the state.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Barletta, a Republican representative from Hazleton who’s rumored to be considering a run for Senate in 2018, has gone back and forth several times on the AHCA, but now appears to be a pretty safe “yes.” Per CNN, Barletta originally had concerns “that people would defraud the system and apply for tax credits without the government checking Social Security numbers.” He’s since been assured there will be a separate bill to address those concerns and is in the “yes” column.
Brendan Boyle
Party: Democrat
Where he represents: The 13th congressional district, which covers Northeast Philadelphia and parts of eastern Montgomery County.
Did he support it: No
Why: Well for one, he’s a Democrat. If you’re interested in more reasons for why Boyle is steadfastly against the bill, we would direct you to his Twitter feed that’s been pretty dedicated to zingers about this issue over the last several days, including one in which he tweeted about his boss: “Ouch! Speaker Ryan OWNED by @AARP !”
Bob Brady
Party: Democrat
Where he represents: The 1st congressional district, which covers eastern, northeastern and southern parts of Philadelphia.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Brady is a longtime congressman from Philadelphia, the leader of the Democratic Party here in the city and is an engrained member of the Democratic establishment. He ain’t voting for this.
Matthew Cartwright
Party: Democrat
Where he represents: The 17th congressional district, which includes parts of northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Cartwright hasn’t been super outspoken about this bill, however Democrats are uniting against it and forcing Republicans to go it alone. Cartwright is a loyal Democrat and supported the Affordable Care Act.
Ryan Costello
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 6th congressional district, which includes parts of the Philadelphia suburbs north and west of the city.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Costello, a centrist who voted in favor of an earlier version of the AHCA when it was in committee, is a “no” at this point. He’s repeatedly brought up concerns about protecting those with pre-existing conditions and said amendments to the bill haven’t changed his mind.
“Protections for those with pre-existing conditions without contingency and affordable access to coverage for every American remain my priorities for advancing health care reform, and this bill does not satisfy those benchmarks for me,” Costello told Politico. “I remain a no vote on this bill in its current form.”
Charlie Dent
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 15th congressional district, which includes parts of the Lehigh Valley.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Dent, one of the remaining centrists in Congress and a noted moderate the administration has worked to flip, had serious concerns about the original version of this bill that apparently haven’t been settled. Dent appeared on CNN earlier this week, saying the bill in its current form is problematic for a number of reasons, including concerns that states that have expanded Medicaid won’t have enough resources for “soft landing.” He also said the bill’s tax credit structure for people who will transition out of Medicaid is insufficient, and added that the proposed amendment regarding pre-existing conditions makes matters worse.
Mike Doyle
Party: Democrat
Where he represents: The 14th congressional district, which includes parts of Allegheny (yes, Pittsburgh) and Westmoreland counties.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Well, he’s a Democrat. He sent out a series of tweets about “Trumpcare,” writing that it “would cost seniors more $$ and gut Medicaid – while providing $600 billion in tax breaks to the 1% and insurance companies.”
Dwight Evans
Party: Democrat
Where he represents: The 2nd congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of west and north Philadelphia, as well as parts of Montgomery County.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Evans,a freshman congressman who represents parts of Philadelphia, has repeatedly indicated he wouldn’t support this bill, continuing to do so this morning. He also tweeted about the bill and its lack of a score from the Congressional Budget Office with the thinking-face emoji.
Brian Fitzpatrick
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 8th congressional district, which includes parts of Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Fitzpatrick told NBC News this week that there wasn’t sufficient funding for opioid addiction treatment and recovery programs in the bill in its current form. The congressman was against the last version of this bill, saying in March “I am continuing my discussions with House leadership, urging them to address our concerns and to develop solutions based upon transparency and free-market principles to drive down healthcare costs and expand access to all.”
Mike Kelly
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 3rd congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Kelly, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, is a big supporter of the AHCA. Trump even called him out by name during a rally in Harrisburg last week, saying “I’ll be so angry at Congressman Kelly and Congressman Marino and all of our congressmen in this room if we don’t get that damn thing passed quickly.” Kelly told CNN after that he was up to the challenge and continued to pushing for the bill’s passage.
Tom Marino
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 10th district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of central PA.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Like Kelly, Marino’s a big support of the AHCA and has been a staunch supporter of the Trump administration’s efforts to get it passed. In fact, he’s currently leading his website with an “AHCA myth vs. fact” sheet that indicates millions of people won’t lose their healthcare and that “Americans can choose to keep their existing health care options.”
Pat Meehan
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 7th congressional district, which includes the Philadelphia suburbs and parts of Chester, Montgomery, Delaware and Lancaster counties.
Did he support it: No.
Why: Meehan, who represents a pretty moderate district, voted for the bill to make it out of the Ways and Means Committee in March, but now isn’t supporting it. Last we heard from Meehan, he said he still has concerns about raising premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. Most national news organizations with a whip count put Meehan in the “no” column.
Tim Murphy
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 18th congressional district, which includes parts of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: While Murphy, a moderate, had some concerns about rolling back certain Obamacare provisions, he’s a pretty solid “yes” vote on the AHCA as it stands now. He also said he’s leaning “yes” because leadership promised to address funding for mental health care. In March, Murphy — a psychologist in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps. — penned an op-ed in The Hill defending the legislation.
Scott Perry
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 4th congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of Adams, York and Cumberland counties.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Perry, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, leaned “no” on the last version of the bill, saying it “does not drive the cost of health care down.” But Perry came around with the rest of the Freedom Caucus following the MacArthur amendment and is now in favor of the bill’s passage.
Keith Rothfus
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 12th congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of western Pennsylvania.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Rothfus has been very quiet on this bill, but he’s being considered a “yes” in most of the whip counts out there. He was largely undecided last time around, saying in March “I am already reading and reviewing the legislation to determine it addresses the concerns I have had for seven years.” He added in a statement: “Obamacare is a disaster and continues to wreak havoc on patients and their doctors. We must make sure our most vulnerable get the care they need without the middle class being crushed by skyrocketing costs and dwindling options.”
Bill Shuster
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 9th congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Shuster, who represents a portion of the state that voted for Trump by a large margin, has been supportive of the administration’s efforts to repeal Obamacare. He supported the bill back in March and was part of a team of legislators working with Trump to whip up votes.
Lloyd Smucker
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 16th congressional district, which includes parts of the southeastern part of the state like Lancaster, Chester and Berks counties.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Smucker has been a supporter of the AHCA since the last time around. When the AHCA failed to pass in March, he released a statement saying: “I am very disappointed. But we’re moving forward. We have an agenda the American people expect us to accomplish, and I remain hopeful we can come together to enact reforms that will have a direct, positive impact on the people I am here to represent.”
Glenn Thompson
Party: Republican
Where he represents: The 5th congressional district of Pennsylvania, which includes the central and northwestern parts of the state.
Did he support it: Yes.
Why: Thompson has been very back-and-forth on this legislation, switching from “no” to “yes” several times over the last several months as changes were made. But it seems he’s now leaning toward voting “yes” due to “a commitment to making sure those who have pre-existing conditions will be able to afford the care they need and deserve.”
