Report: Speaker Ryan Says Tom Price Plan Will Outline Obamacare Replacement

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

Speaker Ryan told OppCast that the Republican Obamacare replacement plan will parallel the Empowering Patients First Act introduced by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Speaker Ryan said, “We’re basically putting into law the Price plan as our replace plan. It’s very similar to the bill that Tom Price has worked on for so many years, that many conservatives co-sponsored last year.”

Secretary Price served as the House Budget chairman in Congress and sponsored his bill every congressional term since the Affordable Care Act became law.

Speaker Ryan explained that despite concerns about the political will to repeal Obamacare, Congress progresses toward repealing Obamacare. He said, “We’re moving to this next right now in Congress. We’re on track. We’re on our schedule. Our plan was always this spring to take on the repeal and replace of Obamacare, so we haven’t changed a thing. I notice there’s a lot of white noise in the press on this, but we’re as committed as ever before.”

The Empower Patients First Act mirrors many of the details of the Ryan plan leaked in a bill previously reported on last month. The bill provides refundable tax credits for health insurance coverage and health insurance accounts (HSA) contributions. The Department of Health and Human Services would provide state “innovation grants” that would create high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions.

The OppCast interview provides the first official details of Obamacare’s replacement plan. Congressional staffers denied Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) from viewing the Obamacare secret draft in the Capitol building. Paul submitted his bill to replace Obamacare. Senator Paul and Congressmen Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) pledged to oppose any legislation that does not fully repeal Obamacare. The Ryan plan does not fully repeal Obamacare.

Congressman Mark Meadows told Breitbart News about his concerns about the Ryan plan. He explained, “We are concerned about a new federal plan that will only increase premiums and lead to higher prices. We are not going to fix health care by replacing Obamacare with another plan that won’t work.”

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