In an interview with Rush Limbaugh, Vice President Mike Pence endorsed the Cruz “consumer choice” amendment and said that if the Senate cannot pass their healthcare bill, they should push for a straight repeal of Obamacare.
Vice President Mike Pence said that the allowing consumers to choose more affordable and flexible healthcare plans through the Cruz consumer choice amendment embodies the very essence of freedom. Pence said. He explained:
Including freedom policies, which would say to a state, ‘Look, if you offer an insurance plan that meets what remains of the federal regulations, then you can also offer — to Americans — to be able to buy a health insurance product that doesn’t meet those same criteria.’ You know, Rush, that’s what freedom looks like, isn’t it? I mean, come on! (chuckles) We’re talking about people being able to go to a marketplace and to say, ‘Look, if I want all the benefits that are listed here, some of which are certified by the state or even the federal government, I’ll pay for that. If I don’t want all of those benefits, I ought to be able to buy that as well.’ That’s ultimately a free market principle.
Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) consumer choice amendment would allow consumers to purchase health insurance plans that do not comply with Obamacare regulations as long as the insurer also offers plans that do comply with Obamacare regulations.
Vice President Mike Pence said that if the Senate cannot pass their healthcare bill, Republicans should push for a straight repeal and replace bill. Pence explained Trump’s position on repealing Obamacare:
Well, let me say, the president’s made it very clear. While some in the Senate majority have said that if they can’t pass the current bill, that they’ll have to reach out to the Democrats, you’ve got some Republicans — I saw ’em on television yesterday — saying, “We ought to reach out; do a bipartisan bill.” The president’s made it very clear. You know, we believe if they can’t pass this carefully crafted repeal and replace bill — do those two things simultaneously — we ought to just repeal only. And then have enough time built into that legislation to craft replacement legislation in a way that’s orderly and allows states to adjust to different changes in Medicaid over maybe a three or four-year window that allows the insurance markets to evolve.
President Trump recently tweeted that if Republicans cannot pass the Senate healthcare bill, otherwise known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), then they should repeal and then replace Obamacare.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) concurred with President Trump, arguing that Republicans should uphold their promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.
If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2017
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