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Despite the American Health Care Act being pulled from a House vote twice and seemingly dead, Rep. Virginia Foxx of N.C.’s 5th District remains optimistic about a new health care bill.

“We made a promise to deliver the free-market, patient-centered health care reforms the American people deserve, and today’s actions do not change our determination to keep our promise,” Foxx said on Friday, March 24.

Foxx remained a strong supporter of the AHCA as concerns regarding the popularity of the legislation varied among Americans. Nate Silver ofFiveThirtyEight.com,a website that uses statistical analysis attempt to indicate trends in elections, politics, sports, science, economics and other areas, averaged various polls on March 21 and found only 30 percent of Americans viewed the AHCA favorably. A poll by Quinnipiac University on March 23 found that 17 percent of the public viewed the bill favorably.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that under the AHCA, more than 24 million Americans would lose health care by 2026, with 14 million of those coming in the first year.

Republicans, who had a majority of votes to pass the AHCA if the vote was along party lines, found resistance from the “Freedom Caucus,” a group of 29 House Republicans who opposed the bill. The swing meant that opposition to the bill, which needed a minimum of 22 Republicans to flip sides in order to fail, had the votes to kill the AHCA.

When the bill was first introduced, Foxx spoke to the House floor on March 7 about the AHCA.

“After a thoughtful and collaborative process, members of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee recently unveiled a legislative plan that will repeal and replace ObamaCare,” Foxx said. “The plan, the American Health Care Act, includes a number of positive, common-sense reforms that will help create more choices, lower costs, and give control back to individuals and families.”

Foxx spoke again on the House floor on March 24, just a couple of hours before the bill was pulled, urging representatives to vote for the bill.

“The American Health Care Act puts the American people back in control of their health care. It restores choices, protects the most vulnerable, encourages lower health care costs, empowers states and frees families and small businesses from costly taxes and mandates.”

Despite the failure of the bill, Foxx will continue to pursue a repeal and replacement of the ACA.

“We will continue to advance solutions that provide relief to the millions of hard working men and women struggling under the consequences of Obamacare.”

http://www.averyjournal.com/news/despite-health-care-bill-failure-foxx-still-determined/article_67e8e555-2f3f-5991-b409-196dd40c7874.html