Freedom Caucus opposes GOP's Obamacare replacement plan

A three-year phaseout 'will meet with major resistance,'
said the group's incoming leader, Rep. Mark Meadows.

By RACHAEL BADE 12/05/16 08:00 PM EST

The Republican congressman who made his name as the instigator of John Boehner’s ouster last year was set to take the reins of the House Freedom Caucus on Monday night.

And first up on Rep. Mark Meadows’ to-do list: Torpedoing GOP leadership’s tentative plans to take as long as three years to replace Obamacare.

The proposal “will meet with major resistance from Freedom Caucus members,” the North Carolina Republican vowed in an interview, calling it “the first big fight I see coming for the Freedom Caucus.”

“It should be repealed and replaced, and all of that should be done in the 115th Congress” — the two-year period starting in January through 2018 — and “not left to a future Congress to deal with,” Meadows added.

Politico reported last week that GOP leaders on both sides of the Capitol are coalescing around a two- or three-year repeal strategy, which would allow them ample time to come up with a replacement and give insurance companies time to adjust. The Senate is particularly keen on a three-year phaseout, though nothing is set in stone.

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