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House Republican leaders are putting their health care bill to a vote Thursday evening, but it is at this point not evident that they have the votes theyll need to pass the bill. They can lose up to 22 members, assuming that no Democrats will support the bill. Heres the most current count of the no votes, according to CBS News.

Both conservative and moderate Republicans oppose the bill, though their reasons for their planned votes against the American Healthcare act vary -- these are some of the problems theyve cited:

Conservatives are angry that the measure isnt a full repeal of Obamacare and have dubbed it Obamacare lite. Groups like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and FreedomWorks have announced that they are key voting against lawmakers who vote in favor of the bill, that is, they will count the votes against those lawmakers in their conservative ratings.

Republicans in Congress promised a full repeal of Obamacare, but the current plan falls far short. It leaves intact some of the most harmful aspects of the law, including burdensome regulations that send insurance costs spiking and federal subsidies rebranded as tax credits, said AFPs Chief Government Affairs Officer Brent Gardner.

In an interview last week with Fox Business Maria Bartiromo, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said, We dont have the votes for just a full repeal because so many of our members and the president included said repeal and replace. And if we just did a repeal with reconciliation -- meaning 51 votes -- and not replace, then we wouldnt be able to get a replacement passed because they can filibuster a replace.

Under a certain rule within the budget reconciliation process, a full repeal of President Obamas signature healthcare law would be difficult to achieve anyway.

This may be the most oft-cited reason for opposing the GOP bill -- the claim that it will do nothing to lower insurance premiums for most Americans. This is true at least in the short term.

In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that average premiums for single policy holders would rise 15 to 20 percent under the new law in 2018 and 2019. Its worth noting that the increases would only be for the first few years of the new law: starting in 2020 they will begin to decline, the CBO projects, and would be an estimated 10 percent lower than current premiums by 2026.

However, some Republicans -- including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have said even the short-term increase in premiums is unacceptable. Cruz told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that he wouldnt vote for the bill as it stands for one main reason: premiums, premiums, premiums.

Ive got to tell you, if Republicans hold a big press conference and pat ourselves on the back that weve repealed Obamacare and everyones premiums keep going up, people will be ready to tar and feather us in the streets, he said. And quite rightly.

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In the final hours before the House votes on the GOP's Obamacare replacement plan, the White House tried to reach skeptics in an effort to persua...

Also of concern are the premium increases for older Americans. New York Rep. Daniel Donovan is worried about the harmful impact of the bills treatment of age rating, which would allow insurers to charge older Americans up to five times what they charge younger individuals, as opposed to the ACA, which only allows them to be charged three times as much. In an opinion piece in SIlive.com in which he announced his no vote, Donovan pointed out a CBO examplie in which a 64-year old earning $26,500 could pay $14,600 per year for an insurance policy.

Moderates were also alarmed by the substantial increase in uninsured Americans under the Republican plan. CBOs scoring of the bill, which found that 24 million more people would not have health insurance. This is largely because of changes to Medicaid enrollment under the GOP plan. CBO predicts that stopping the expansion of Medicaid and capping the per-enrollee spending will mean that in 2026, some 52 million would be uninsured, compared to the 28 million who would be uninsured if the Affordable Care Act remains in place.

Some House Republicans take a pragmatic view of the vote. New Jersey Rep. Leonard Lance told CNN a little over a week ago, I do not want to vote on a bill that has no chance of passing over in the Senate.

Numerous Republican senators have criticized the bill, meaning it would likely have to be changed significantly even it squeezes through the House. But Senate opposition will be particularly tricky to overcome, as the GOP has only a narrow advantage in the chamber, and criticisms of the bill have come from moderates and stalwart conservatives.

Some senators, such as Kentuckys Rand Paul, believe the current bill does not go far enough, and instead advocate for a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Others, like Alaskas Lisa Murkowski, worry that the current bill goes too far, and would harm voters in their states. Appeasing both sides in that fight will be enormously difficult, if not impossible, as Republicans can only afford to lose two senators for the bill to pass.

For House members still on the fence about the health care bill, this presents a serious question: Is it worth incurring the wrath of conservative groups that oppose the legislation in order to pass a bill that will probably fail to become law? Earlier this month, Sen. Tom Cotton warned House members against voting for the bill for just this reason. I would say to my friends in the House of Representatives with whom I serve, Do not walk the plank and vote for a bill that cannot pass the Senate and then have to face the consequences of that vote, he told ABC.

Rebecca Shabad and Emily Schultheis contributed to this story

Excerpt from:
GOP health care bill: Why some Republicans are opposing it - CBS News

New York Times

Trump's Threats to Recalcitrant Republicans New York Times President Trump and Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, arriving for a meeting with House Republicans at the Capitol on Tuesday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times. To the Editor: Re President Warns Holdouts in G.O.P. Over Health ...

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Trump's Threats to Recalcitrant Republicans - New York Times

If youre a conservative evangelical Christian who feels called to ministry, youre welcome to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. But youre not worthy of honor there. Thats the message sent by PTSs president Craig Barnes today.

In an email to faculty and students, Barnes announced he reversed his decision to honor Pastor Tim Keller with the annual Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Witness. Doing so, Barnes said, might imply an endorsement for Kellers conservative views on womens ordination and same-sex relationships.

Im more progressive than Keller on these issues, but I disagree with PTSs decision.The American church is grappling with issues of gender and sexuality right now, and some on both sides have decided to declare their foes anathema. We must learn to make space with Christians of mutual goodwill who disagree with us on secondary theological issues.

To be clear, PTS has the right to honor whomever they wish. They are not obligated to let Keller speak, much less grant him this award. Setting this aside, we must ask, How does marginalizing Tim Keller make the world a better place? And since were talking about a seminary, we might add, How does it promote unity among disparate churches? The answer to these questions is the same: it doesnt.

Ive had the pleasure of being with Tim Keller on two occasions. Each time, I recognized areas where his theology and mine did not align. But I also walked away feeling I had been in the presence of someone who was eminently reasonable, thoughtful, kind. Tim Keller is no extremist. He is no misogynist. He is no bigot. He is not hateful. Anyone who has paid attention to his Manhattan ministry can attest to this.

If Christians like Tim Keller are unworthy of honor and deserve to be marginalized, American Christianity is in serious trouble.

Keller is like the tens of millions of American Christians who hold to traditional interpretations of the Bible on these issues. Most of them do not hate gay people (though some do). Most do not believe women are inferior (though some do). They are doing their best to love their God and love their neighbors and live their lives according to what they believe the Bible teaches.

Its important to recognize that Barnes decision not to grant Keller the award came in response to outcry from students and alumni. As PTS alum Rev. Traci Smith wrote on her blog,

Ill let others argue finer points of Rev. Kellers theology. My personal soapbox is much less refined. It boils down to this: an institution designed to train men and women for ministry shouldnt be awarding fancy prizes to someone who believes half the student body (or is it more than half?) has no business leading churches.

I dont know the make-up ofthe PTS student body or its views. Lets assume that half of them disagrees with Keller. What about the other half that holds to a traditional view of sexuality and gender? Should an institution designed to train men and women for ministry tell the conservative half (more than half?) of its student body that their theology makes them unworthy of honor?

I appreciate the work of PTS, andwill even be speaking there thisSummeras part of the Frederick Buchner Writing Workshop. But I am dismayedby the message this sends to conservativeChristians. Havinggrown up in a conservative Christian community, Ive familiar with this message. For years, Ive watchedevangelicals marginalize their progressive brothers and sisters over issues of gender and sexuality. They have made these mattersa litmus test, withholding honor from any Jesus follower who dared to asserta more progressive stance. These conservatives have marginalized and maligned progressives, treating them with contempt.

At the same time, progressive Christians have pleaded with their evangelical brothers and sisters to make space at the table for them. Theyve argued for diversity of thought and theology on secondary issues like these. Conservatives often dismissed their pleas, drawing lines in the sand over issues of sexuality and gender.

As the cultural tides shift, the church is also transforming on these matters. Will progressive Christians gain more cultural and religious influence, will theyembody the Golden Rule and make space at the table for conservatives (as they once asked conservatives to do for them)? Or will they treat conservatives the way conservatives have treated them for years?

Though I wish it were not so, many will likely choose the latter. After all, conservatives havent cornered the market on fundamentalism.

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Why Princeton's snub of Tim Keller should outrage progressives - Religion News Service

Editor: Trump supporters wonder why progressives are holding anti-Trump rallies and demonstrations. You lost the election, get over it, they say; or give Trump a chance before you start criticizing him. Progressives have gotten past the election; its the Trump supporters who cant seem to get over it, continually crowing about their landslide in the Electoral College.

Were rallying about what has happened since the election, and continues to happen every day. The Trump administration and its fellow travelers in Congress have mounted a full-scale assault on just about every American value.

From environmental concerns, to medical care, to equal protection, to Americas leadership in the Free World, Trump seems to be determined to undo them all.

Probably most important are First Amendment freedoms: speech, press and religion. Trump and his apologists disdain the truth, attack anyone who disagrees with them, punish members of the press who dont toe the party line, discriminate on the basis of religion on and on.

We cant take a wait and see attitude in the face of this attack. To wait is to allow our constitutional freedoms to be eroded. We must push back to protect our Constitution and our values.

See you in the streets.

Greg McClelland

Ponte Vedra

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Progressives push back for freedom - St. Augustine Record

Progressive health care reform advocates plan to demonstrate in defense of the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, holding protest events in Chicago and congressional districts across the country, as well as in Washington, D.C.

The day of rallies is the latest attempt by supporters of the ACA, also known as Obamacare, to put a political price on Republicans plans to repeal the signature reform. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the GOPs replacement bill Thursday, the seventh anniversary of the original laws passage in 2010.

Health Care for America Now, a labor union-backed umbrella group that played a key role in Obamacares enactment, is coordinating the days actions. It estimates that thousands of activists will turn out to protest the Republican legislation.

The new bill offers tax breaks to wealthy Americans and insurance and drug companies on the backs of our seniors and families, HCAN co-director Margarida Jorge said in a statement.Americans from coast to coast know theres too much at stake for themselves, their families and millions across the country to allow this bill to pass.

Carlos Barria / Reuters

The rally at 1 p.m. in D.C., which is being organized by the foundation-funded HCAN ally the Center for Popular Democracy and other groups, will feature speeches by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, as well as Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union. Attendees will gather at Freedom Plaza to hear the speakers and then march to the Trump International Hotel and the White House, where activists plan to perform acts of civil disobedience.Later in the day, Ellison, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, plans to hold a press conference on the Republican bill with several CPC members outside the Capitol building.

A mass protest in Chicagos Federal Plaza will focus on House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who was originally slated to visit the city to attend a fundraiser for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R).

And at the district offices of several House Republicans, activists plan to protest the ACAs repeal by setting up mock emergency rooms. The theatrical gesture aims to show how the drop in insurance coverage from the laws repeal an estimated 24 million people would become uninsured by 2026 under the GOP plan would overwhelm emergency rooms as uninsured Americans seek care there.

AARP intends to stage its own colorful protest of the repeal bill Thursday morning at the Capitol South Metro stop outside the House office buildings. The nations largest seniors group plans to have people dressed as Charlie the Squirrel, a character in its video ads opposing repeal, distribute flyers with AARPs talking points against the bill.In the ads, Charlie is the comedic companion of a middle-aged American upset about a feature of the Republican legislation that would allow insurers to charge older people five times more than younger people for premiums. Since the bills age-based tax credits are not enough to make up the difference, AARP has dubbed the provision the age tax.

The planned demonstrations follow a Wednesday protest by House Democrats against Obamacare repeal on Capitol Hill. Former Vice President Joe Biden attended the rally, predicting that the Republican bill is not gonna pass.

House Democrats have decided not to throw up last-minute procedural obstacles to delay the bill, according to Politico. The caucus has instead calculated that it is best to let Republicans vote on the legislation and suffer whatever political consequences ensue.

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Progressives Plan Day Of Obamacare Activism As House Prepares To Vote On Repeal - Huffington Post