Tensions over the health care bill are flaring up as members of Congress face the president's ultimatum: Pass the bill or keep Obamacare.

  • 9 a.m. UPDATE: House GOP health care bill clears Rules Committee, moves to House floor.

President Donald Trump has been spending all his online energy pushing the GOP's health care bill, using that hashtag #PassTheBill.

The key to this passing is getting Republicans to back it. In an embarrassing and stinging setback, leaders abruptly postponed the vote on Thursday because a rebellion by conservatives and moderates would have doomed the measure. They had hoped for a roll call Thursday, which marked the seventh anniversary of President Barack Obama's enactment of his landmark health care statute that Republicans have vowed ever since to annul.

Even if they prevail, Republicans face an uphill climb in the Senate, where conservatives and moderates are also threatening to sink it. However, some Republicans have gone online to show where they stand on Trumpcare, such as GOP Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy:

Matt Gaetz, the congressman for northwest Florida, explained why he was voting for the bill.

But Florida Representative Ted Yoho already said this week he could not vote for it as it stands.

But many Republicans are staying silent on their stance, leaving a vote today unpredictable.

The GOP bill eliminates the Obama statute's unpopular fines on those who do not obtain coverage and the often generous subsidies for those who purchase insurance.

Instead, consumers would face a 30 percent premium penalty if they let coverage lapse. Republican tax credits would be based on age, not income. The bill would also end Obama's Medicaid expansion and trim future federal financing for the federal-state program and let states impose work requirements on some of its 70 million beneficiaries.

In a bid to coax support from conservatives, House leaders proposed a fresh amendment — to be voted on Friday — repealing Obama's requirement that insurers cover 10 specified services like maternity and mental health care. Conservatives have demanded the removal of those and other conditions the law imposes on insurers, arguing they drive premiums skyward.

Many moderates are opposed because they say the GOP bill would leave many voters uninsured. Medical associations, consumer groups and hospitals are opposed or voicing misgivings, and some Republican governors say the bill cuts Medicaid too deeply and would leave many low-income people uncovered.

Republicans can lose only 22 votes in the face of united Democratic opposition. A tally by The Associated Press found at least 32 "no" votes, but the figure was subject to fluctuation amid frantic GOP lobbying.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., head of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said he remained a "no" but did not answer when asked whether the group still had enough votes to kill the legislation. He had long said caucus opposition alone would defeat it without changes.

One member of that group, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., responded indirectly when asked if his opposition had changed.

"Everybody asked us to take a moment and reflect. Well, we'll reflect," he said.

Other foes said they had not flipped. These included moderate Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Dan Donovan of New York and Leonard Lance of New Jersey, plus conservative Walter Jones of North Carolina, who had his own words of warning.

"He's there for three-and-a-half more years," Jones said of Trump. "He better be careful. He's got a lot of issues coming."

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said changes Republican leaders had proposed before Thursday to win votes had cut the legislation's deficit reduction by more than half, to $150 billion over the next decade. But it would still result in 24 million more uninsured people in a decade.

Obama's law increased coverage through subsidized private insurance for people who don't have access to workplace plans, and a state option to expand Medicaid for low-income residents. More than 20 million people gained coverage since the law was passed in 2010.

Many who purchase individual health insurance and make too much to qualify for the law's tax credits have seen their premiums jump and their choices diminished.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.