Rep. Cheri Bustos railed against Republicans’ plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act during a speech Wednesday on the House floor.
“Republicans have talked about repealing for almost seven years the Affordable Care Act, but they have no plan for replacement,” Bustos said. “Again and again we’ve heard that repealing Obamacare will make America great again. Well I say it will make America sick again.”
Bustos warned that repealing the legislation would result in substantially higher prescription drug costs for seniors, higher rates for women’s basic care, discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions and denial of care to cancer patients who have reached lifetime limits on insurance policies.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence told reporters Wednesday that the GOP-controlled Congress plans to move forward with the plan to repeal the law.
“The first order of business is to repeal and replace Obamacare, and that was our message today and that will be our message on Capitol Hill,” Pence said after a meeting with Congressional Republicans.
President Barack Obama also met with lawmakers in Washington Wednesday, urging them to defend his namesake legislation, which has provided 20 million with insurance.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted a warning Wednesday to Republican lawmakers attempting to repeal the legislation. The president-elect also blamed Democrats for "massive increases” in the healthcare marketplace that are set to take effect this year.
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“Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases like the 116% hike in Arizona,” Trump said in a pair of tweets. “Also, deductibles are so high that it is practically useless. Don’t let Schumer clowns out of this web.”
After Wednesday’s meeting with Obama, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to Trump’s tweets, criticizing the GOP plan to repeal the law, according to the NBC News report.
“I think Republicans should stop clowning around with the people’s Medicare, Medicaid and healthcare,” Schumer told reporters.
Schumer claimed the Republicans' plan would throw destabilize the country's health insurance marketplace, increase costs for all Americans and “blow a trillion dollar hole in the deficit.”
