House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) offered a Republican replacement to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act yesterday that would slowly unravel the employer-based health care system and provide families and individuals with a tax credit to purchase insurance on the individual health market. Americans denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions could enroll in a state-based high-risk insurance pool full of sick people.
But don’t expect all Republicans to get behind the plan. While the GOP will continue to push for complete repeal of health care reform, Chuck Clapton, Sen. Mike Enzi’s (R-WY) chief health care staffer, told Politico’s Jennifer Haberkorn this morning that Republicans won’t put forward a united proposal until the party has decided on a presidential nominee. “Members of Congress aren’t going to want to get in front of the candidate…I don’t know if there is much of a political advantage that comes from a candidate laying out what a repeal and replace strategy would be right now.” Watch it:
Clapton also said Republicans support some of the health care savings laid out by Obama in his new deficit proposal, pointing specifically to the administration’s reductions in the prevention fund and the changes to Medigap policies. He added that the GOP would be looking for savings in the Affordable Care Act, including lowering subsidies to middle class Americans for the purchase of health insurance coverage.
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