Sen. Paul: Obamacare Over in ’10 Minutes’ With 2016 GOP Plan

Some House conservatives, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, have also come out in favor of a full repeal of the law rather than some form of compromise. “But if the public can’t see the bill, they can’t give us their sentiment”. For seven years, Republicans have been saying that they would “repeal and replace” Obamacare when they got the chance.

The GOP’s battle to make good on a campaign promise to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act -better known and Obamacare- continues to confound Republican lawmaker after Republican lawmaker. He also raised the possibility that Cruz and Lee might join him. All of those proposals would likely limit access to care, as they repeal the individual mandate, a the tax penalty created to encourage otherwise healthy people to purchase insurance and thus bring down costs for insurers.

Reporters and members of Congress were sent on something of a treasure hunt Thursday when they tried to view a House Republican Obamacare replacement plan that has received some top-level security.

For the many Republicans who were elected during Obama’s presidency with a mandate to block his agenda, obstruction comes much more naturally than governance. Among other notable benefits, the ACA made it possible for people with pre-existing conditions to obtain coverage for the first time.

The coordinated resistance has raised the specter of a resurgent ideological right wing, which has appeared at least publicly to be in retreat since Trump’s victory. The president, however, left them wanting.

White House reporters said politicians were hunting down the bill but that it had been moved from its initial location.

A sticking point in the case of Ryan’s repeal bill is a new tax on expensive employer-provided health plans.

“Simply put, Energy and Commerce majority members and staff are continuing to discuss and refine draft legislative language on issues under our committee’s jurisdiction”. In the Senate, even using the reconciliation procedure and assuming Vice President Mike Pence breaks any tie, Republicans can only spare two votes. When that didn’t work out, they went to the Energy and Commerce meeting room. Democrats voiced similar complaints.

“If they’re not embarrassed about the “Obamacare lite” bill they have, they should show it to us”, Mr. Paul said.

“We should replace on the same day”, he said.

There has been significant grumbling among House conservatives that the “repeal-plus” plan is just “Obamacare-Lite”. “We don’t want to add in new subsidies or new entitlement programs”, Sen. Paul and several conservative Republicans have attacked that plan because it relies on a system of tax credits to help people pay for insurance. He then told reporters staking out the room that numerous proposals are “Democrat ideas wrapped up in Republican clothing” and he demanded that the legislation be debated openly and in public. That means a lot of people are thinking about it.