Throughout the 2016 election cycle, Republicans in Congress and President-elect Donald Trump put a lot of energy into their message that the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare, should be repealed and replaced.
Now that the dust has begun to settle, Republican leaders in the House and Senate are suggesting the process to replace ObamaCare could take several years. This prompted incoming Senate Minority Leader (D-N.Y.) Chuck Schumer to say the new GOP position provides congressional Democrats with “tremendous leverage.”
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), one of the national co-chairs for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s failed presidential campaign, has offered a solution that could take care of ObamaCare in one fell swoop. It’s called the American Future Healthcare Act.
“The American people have rejected, as they have done for the past six years, [President Barack Obama]’s failed healthcare law, asking both Congress and the 2016 presidential nominees for an alternative,” he said. “Whether it was the botched implementation or the fact that millions of people had their health insurance plans cancelled because they were suddenly in violation of ‘essential health benefits,’ Obamacare has been nothing short of a complete failure.
“It is time this act of hook, crook and legislative shenanigan be abolished and our health care system restored. That is why I introduced the Obamacare Repeal Act in January 2015, and why I am introducing The American Future Healthcare Act of 2016.”
King’s bill would, unlike ObamaCare, encourages individuals and families to be fiscally responsible by saving for their healthcare expenses. By encouraging healthcare accountability over a lifetime, it will serve as an important piece in “ensuring that our citizens and nation thrive in the decades ahead.”
“My bill would bring an end to this nightmare by giving the American people the ability to make their own healthcare decisions by increasing deductible healthcare savings account annual contribution limits to $10,000 per individual and $20,000 per joint return,” he said. “In this way, HSAs would allow individuals to keep the dollars that they do not use and, unlike under current law, Americans could accumulate money in their HSAs even if they have high-deductible health plans or even no insurance at all.
“HSAs could also be used to pay health insurance premiums, regardless of the type of health insurance the individual has.” {eoa}
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