Spicer: ‘We will have the votes necessary’ to repeal ObamaCare

The Trump administration is confident House Republicans’ health plan will have the votes necessary to pass Congress, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday. 

Spicer said at the daily press briefing that President Trump is working with Republican lawmakers who have said they’ll oppose the legislation.

“We’re going to continue to work with members of the House and eventually the Senate,” he said.

“I feel very good as the president continues to engage with members that we will have the votes necessary.” 

{mosads}Conservative members of the House and Senate have described the GOP plan as “ObamaCare lite” because it includes a refundable tax credit to help people buy insurance and leaves many of ObamaCare’s provisions in place. 

Members of the 40-member conservative House Freedom Caucus have said repeatedly that leadership won’t have the votes needed to pass the vote in the chamber, and some Republican senators are also balking at the legislation. 

Leadership has indicated it won’t accept major changes to the legislation. 

Spicer said Monday the administration is open to “ideas that make this a strong, more patient-centered piece of legislation.” 

“We’re not saying this is the only way forward,” he said. 

“If there are ways we can enhance the bill through the legislative process, we’re going to do it.” 

Spicer also panned the Congressional Budget Office ahead of its widely anticipated score of the GOP legislation, calling past analyses “wildly off.” 

The score, which could come as soon as Monday afternoon, will give an indication of how much the plan would cost and how many could lose coverage under it. 

Asked if he considers CBO scores to be legitimate, Spicer said, “It depends”

“I think when you look at whatever that number is, whether it’s budget projections or whatever, I think there’s a track record that goes along a lot of times whether or not the the projections in certain areas —whether it’s unemployment, budgetary numbers, whatever — what the track record is,” he said.

“All I’m suggesting to you is very clearly that the numbers that they did the last time they did healthcare were off by more than 50 percent when it came to the number of people insured.”

The Brookings Institute estimates that the CBO will determine at least 15 million people will lose coverage under the plan.