House Majority Leader Eric Cantor claimed that “Obamacare is on borrowed time” Sunday, explaining that House Republicans will work to vote on an alternative healthcare bill sometime this year.
Cantor spoke to CBS’ Major Garrett about the Affordable Care Act and Republican plans to combat it. Cantor asserted that Obamacare was likely to collapse without congressional Republicans lifting a finger. “The Affordable Care Act — I think most of the public has now seen what we’ve been talking about,” he began. “This law is a disaster. In my opinion, Obamacare is on borrowed time.”
“Policies are being cancelled, prices are going up, access to hospitals and doctors are being limited for many folks, especially those in the individual market,” he continued. “And as we begin to see the further growth in terms of implementation of this law, you will see, I believe, more and more people negatively affected.”
Instead of focusing on repeal, Cantor explained that Republicans will be working to provide a comprehensive substitute to Obamacare as it crumbles. “There’s going to be a real problem, a real need for an alternative… I believe firmly that we will have a vote on an alternative for a healthcare system that works for people.”
“When?” Garrett asked. “Well, I believe we will have it this year,” Cantor claimed. “Obamacare is not working. And we want a healthcare system that works for all Americans.”
Although the plan is not yet finalized, Cantor promised the alternative would leave intact the most popular provisions of Obamacare while introducing more competition and choice into the system. “We are going to deal with those with preexisting conditions,” he pledged. “We don’t want them to go without coverage. We just deal with it in a way and provide high-risk pools, so that we can limit the increase in cost for everybody else and do it in a much more cost-effective manner.”
“We say folks oughta have choice of their insurance companies,” he continued. “Let them purchase across state lines, help bring down prices. And then we say you know, we oughta have patient-center care, not care dictated by Washington, which is why we want we wanna promote health-savings accounts. These are the kinds of things that are in our proposal.”
Cantor noted that congressional Republicans are largely on-board with the proposed alternatives. “There is a consensus,” the Majority Leader said.
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