House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has said he is convinced the American Health Care Act will get the 218 votes it needs to pass, but Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Wednesday his vote will not be one of those if changes are not made to the proposed legislation.
"I think this bill has real problems," Jordan, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "When we told the voters we were going to repeal Obamacare, we didn't say we are going to repeal Obamacare, but keep some of the Obamacare taxes, which is in the leadership plan. We didn't say we would repeal Obamacare, but extend and expand the Medicaid expansion, and we didn't certainly say we were going to repeal Obamacare, but also start new entitlements which is what this legislation does."
Jordan said his caucus is introducing a plan Wednesday that will be consistent with what voters were told and what they expect, "and that is a clean repeal."
"Just repeal Obamacare," Jordan said. "Pass the exact same thing that every single Republican 15 months ago in the Congress voted for. Put that same legislation on President [Donald] Trump's desk, the same thing we put on President [Barack] Obama's desk."
Jordan said a clean repeal can be passed with 51 votes in the Senate, not 60, through a process called reconciliation.
After that, then replacement measures can be taken, such as allowing interstate shopping for insurance and making it easier for health association plans to form.
If the plan already in place goes through, it will not bring down the cost of insurance or bring back affordable plans, Jordan continued, because there are still other concerns.
"We still have to implement some of the things we just talked about, purchases across state lines, association plans, those sorts of things," Jordan said. "Let's start with what we all agree on, what unites Republicans: Clean repeal. Get rid of Obamacare, like we told the voters we were going to do."
Jordan, also appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," noted representatives have only had the bill for 36 hours, and already plan action on it.
"I don't think the plan they introduced [Tuesday] will bring down the cost for working-class and middle-class families," Jordan said. "Every conservative group out there is opposed to this legislation, because others have said, and I said, it's Obamacare in a different form."
He also does not think the proposal can pass as it is.
"We had our meeting last night with the Freedom Caucus, and their opposition was strong with this legislation," Jordan said. "This needs to change in a dramatic way for it to have a chance to pass, in my judgment. The simple thing to do for Republicans, is pass the clean repeal."
Americans hate when politicians campaign on one thing and do something different, Jordan said. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office has not yet determined a score about the costs of the bill.
"I think it's not going to bring down the cost for premiums and working-class families," Jordan continued. "I can't believe the score won't be high, because when you are expanding the Medicaid expansion, and starting the new entitlement called the tax credits, I have to believe that's a cost to the federal government."
Jordan also denied a clean repeal would leave millions of Americans without healthcare, as it would "put in affordable insurance" that will allow for revisions such as expanded health savings accounts.