Majority of Florida congressional delegation opposes Republican health care plan

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida congressional delegation is comprised of 27 members: 11 Democrats and 16 Republicans. As of Wednesday, 15 of the 27 members in the delegation are voting against the Republican health care plan pushed by House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump.

“As of now, Rep. Posey is a ‘no’ on the bill unless there are changes made,” wrote a spokesperson for Rep. Bill Posey (R-Melbourne).

Posey is joined by three other Florida Republicans in voicing opposition to the GOP bill as it’s currently written.

“Congressman DeSantis is concerned that the bill doesn't address the core problems with Obamacare: the cost of insurance and the lack of competition and consumer choice,” wrote a spokesperson for Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-DeLand).

Other “no” votes for the current GOP health care plan include Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Gainesville) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami), who tweeted, “the plan leaves too many from my south Florida district uninsured.”

The four Republicans join the state’s 11 Democratic members in opposition, while the majority of Republican members say they are still undecided in the matter.

“The Congressman is encouraged by the enhancements made to the BetterCare proposal,” wrote a spokesperson for Rep Carlos Curbelo (R-Miami).  “As of now, these changes substantially increase resources available for lower income and older Americans. He recognizes there remains more to be done and he’s still working with colleagues in both the House and the Senate to improve the legislation and create a health care system that truly puts patients first.”

There are three firm “yes” votes on the health care plan: Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Lakeland), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-New Port Richey), and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Pensacola).

“Even though the original was a huge improvement over Obamacare, we needed to make a few key changes to it, so it would be even better for the American people,” wrote Rep. Gaetz in a statement of support for the Republican plan.

House leadership has said it would like to bring the bill to a floor vote by Thursday.

Of the 193 Democrats in the House, 192 are expected to vote “no” with one member being absent.

If Democrats hold their ground, Republicans can only afford to lose 21 votes and still pass the bill to the U.S. Senate for its consideration.

Cox Media Group