Republicans are closer than ever to healthcare reform in the United States

In an abrupt turn of events, House Republicans came within inches of the finish line Wednesday on their repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

Centrists had pushed back on an addition to the legislation that allowed states to apply for a waiver to repeal some Obamacare regulations, which some members worried would undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions.

To combat this concern, Rep. Fred Upton on Tuesday began circulating an amendment to provide an additional $8 billion in funds to protect those sick Americans in the event that such a waiver is triggered.

Importantly, the additional funding also has not turned away members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which only supported the AHCA after the original provision providing for state waivers was added.

The movement appears to have set the stage for GOP House leadership to bring the bill to a floor for a vote as soon as Thursday. The Freedom Caucus source told that members expect the bill to be brought to the floor on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier Wednesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan told conservative radio hose Hugh Hewitt that the the House GOP was "extremely close" to obtaining the necessary votes.

Source: Bloomberg

Junior Trader Ivan Ivanov

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