Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA) and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Healthcare, formally submitted the bill to repeal and replace the health care law passed in March.
Called the "Reform Americans Can Afford Act" the bill was co-sponsored by 20 Republican representatives including House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
According to Congressman Herger this bill would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act which were signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
The new bill also offers a replacement measure which the sponsors say will give Americans common sense protection that would “keep Washington out of the doctor’s office.”
The sponsors state that according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this legislation would lower health car premiums by as much as 20%.
The new legislation would also repeal the half trillion dollar cuts to Medicare. The sponsors point out that actuaries at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services said these cuts could jeopardize access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.
Read the comments of the co-sponsors here
GOP says health care law “deeply flawed”
Congressman Herger said that the American people generally oppose the new health care law which the Congressman calls “deeply flawed.” He said that with this bill Republicans are providing Americans with a better alternative.
According to the sponsors, their bill would offer a “commonsense reforms that address the core problem – the rising cost of health care.”
Priority is to lower cost
According to House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, two promises were made to the American people by President Obama and the Democratic Majority:
- that reform would lower costs and
- Americans who like their health insurance coverage could keep it.
Congressman Cantor said that Americans are finding out that neither of these promises will be kept under the current health care reform law. He said American deserve a better law that meets these two promises and replaces it “with a bill that makes lowering costs the first priority."
Democrats dismiss the idea of repeal and replace
Needless to say Democrats are skeptical that this legislation will even make it to the floor. Democrats believe that the purpose of this bill is simply to give Republicans something to talk about during the upcoming election campaigns.
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