Sen. Chuck Grassley appeared on Sharyl Attkisson’s television show “Full Measure” Sunday to discuss the congressional Republican Obamacare “repeal and replace” agenda.
One of the chief claims by Obamacare supporters is that if Republicans dismantle Obamacare, the 20 million Americans who obtained health insurance will lose coverage — and even die.
Grassley says that those who make such doomsday claims are merely “scare mongers.” The senator wants to assure “people that have insurance under the exchange,” that there will be a “phase in of the new program.” Meaning those who have Obamacare insurance plans “are going to be able to keep it.”
As far as the legislative process of “repeal and replace,” the senator thinks there are likely some bipartisan obstacles in the way of an expedient replacement.
Grassley expressed his confidence that House and Senate Republicans could “repeal,” Obamacare without bipartisan support in Congress, but that any “replacement has to be done in a bipartisan way because the 60 votes are going to be required of the US Senate.”
A key question from Obamacare supporters is: How long would a replacement plan take to be fully instituted? Grassley says it is important to “remember it took three years for Obamacare to be phased in,” and it is likely, “going to take three years for its replacement to be phased in.”
While the senator could not give specifics of the plan, Grassley did provide “the general principles.” A few of them, like “keeping preexisting conditions so that you can’t be denied insurance,” and, “keeping children on their parents insurance maybe till the age of 26,” were even repeated by President Donald Trump.
Grassley also hinted that the republican replacement would include many free market aspects, like: “selling insurance across state lines, emphasis on health savings accounts, greater transparency of pricing by hospitals and doctors.” The senator also said there would be some key legal changes, including, “medical malpractice court reform, doing away with individual mandate, doing away with the employer mandate.”
For those who obtained insurance through the Obamacare exchanges, Grassley says there will be a “phase in” period for the new program. Meaning that “you’re going to phase out what you have now,” so those that have “insurance under the exchange with a subsidy are going to be able to keep it,” the senator says.
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