House Leader on the Next Steps in Dismantling Obamacare

By USABR.

President Obama’s failing health care law continues to collapse before our very eyes. Earlier this week, another major insurer, Humana, announced its departure from all of Obamacare’s marketplaces in 2018. That’s in addition to insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealth that have already fled the scene in certain states, leaving many Americans with few—if any—places to turn for their health care coverage.

Just add Humana’s exit to the list of Obamacare’s damaging failures:

• Skyrocketing costs: Premiums have gone up by an average of 25 percent this year.

• Dwindling choices: Nearly 1/3 of all U.S. counties have only one insurer offering plans on their state’s exchange.

• More taxes: Families and job creators have faced $1 trillion in new taxes.

• A new class of uninsured Americans: Those who pay the penalty because they can’t afford Obamacare’s plans, and those who are forced to buy plans with sky-high deductibles, hindering their ability to actually receive care.

This list of failures is causing real pain for real people: 

“I don’t qualify for a subsidy. Plus, I help to pay a portion for those who do qualify for a subsidy. I am a working individual who happens to be self-employed … What were my 2017 options? None I would have ever picked … None of my existing doctors are in network. No coverage out of network.“ — Ruth S., Arizona

“My wife had a breast diagnosis scare that required a biopsy followed by a lumpectomy and numerous doctor visits and mass confusion between healthcare providers every step of the way. We have spent $24K this year for the poorest quality healthcare in our 40+ years of adulthood and if I need attention we will quickly hit $30K before the … insurance pays a dime.” — Geryk T., Texas

“Despite Obama’s promises, my plan was canceled at an affordable $450 a month when Obamacare was implemented. My new plan has gone up every year and for 2017 will be over $1,300 a month. My husband and I cannot keep up with these increases. Soon it will be a choice between food and housing or health care.” — Virginia Q., Florida

That’s why House Republicans are taking action to rescue Americans from Obamacare’s collapsing insurance marketplace.

In June, we unveiled A Better Way for Health Care Reform, our plan to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that lower costs, improve quality, and expand health care options.

Now, Members are working to turn the solutions laid out in A Better Way into legislation. On the Ways and Means Committee, we will advance policies that:

• Deliver relief from the Obamacare taxes and mandates that have hurt job creators, increased premium costs, and limited options for patients and health care providers.
• Eliminate the individual and employer mandate penalties, which forced millions of workers, families, and job creators into expensive, inadequate Obamacare plans that they don’t want and cannot afford.
• Empower individuals and families to spend their health care dollars the way they want and need—not the way Washington prescribes—by enhancing and expanding Health Savings Accounts.
• Provide all Americans—especially those Obamacare left behind—access to portable, monthly tax credits that they can use to buy a health insurance plan that’s right for them—not one tied to a job or a government-mandated program.

NEXT STEPS

House Republicans are continuing to work on legislation that will repeal Obamacare and lay the groundwork for a patient-centered, 21st century health care system.

As Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) said today:

“This week Republicans really began to lay out our plan. First, to provide relief from the taxes and the mandates of the Affordable Care Act, really important to families and our local businesses. We also began identifying some key replacement parts. Especially in the sense of how do we begin to restore state control of health care so states can tailor it a bit more closely to their families. And how do we begin to restore the free market so Americans have more choices and more affordable care than what they have today? …

“We’re going to continue to work through this through the district work period next week. And as we come back in the weeks ahead we’re going to be moving forward with legislation.”

On repealing Obamacare, the Chairman said:

“In the Ways and Means jurisdiction, we focus on … repealing the taxes, the penalties for the mandates, and the subsidies.”

“I will just tell you I don’t want Americans to suffer under the Obamacare taxes. They are anti-growth, they drive the prices of health care up. I just think they’re bad all around.”

On replacing Obamacare, the Chairman said:

“Critical to restoring the free market in insurance is to make sure that Americans have greater control of their health savings accounts. That they’re bigger and more flexible. Also, [we began] discussions on individual tax credits so Americans who don’t get health care at work, don’t get it from a government program like Medicare or the VA, can still have the option of choosing a plan that’s personalized to their needs. That can travel with them throughout their lifetime, that’s adjusted for age because costs go up as you grow, adjusted to your family, as well. And can be used in plans that states approve.”

“And our proposal would be to unlock that health care help from work so you can get it outside of work. As a mom and pop, an entrepreneur, in between jobs, or if you’re an early retiree, for example, those types of Americans who need good quality healthcare. So the goal would be to unlock it from work and structure it in such a way that we preserve employer-sponsored health care, which is where 150 million Americans get theirs, we want more of that to occur. But do it in a way that helps finance the individual tax credit.”

“We want a credit that is credible and real. Both to buy catastrophic plans and low-cost plans for the healthy but also credible in that it can buy a full, robust, health care plan for a family of 5 or an early retiree who really needs that broad rein.”

BACKGROUND:

In the coming weeks, Ways and Means will advance solutions that will:

Deliver relief from the Obamacare taxes and mandates that have hurt job creators, increased premium costs, and limited options for patients and health care providers. This includes eliminating the individual and employer mandate penalties, which forced millions of workers, families, and job creators into expensive, inadequate Obamacare plans that they don’t want and cannot afford.

Enhance Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) by empowering individuals and families to spend their health care dollars the way they want and need—not the way Washington prescribes. For example, our proposal increases the amount of money an individual or family can put into their HSA, and allows individuals and families to spend money from their HSA on “over-the-counter” health care items.

Provide all Americans access to portable, monthly tax credits that they can use to buy a health insurance plan that’s right for them—not one tied to a job or a government-mandated program. The credits—which are advanceable and refundable— are based on age, so as individuals’ health needs evolve over time, so will their monthly, portable tax credit. The credits can travel with them from job to job, state to state, home to start a business or raise a family, and even into retirement.