On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) stated that “we want to make sure that everybody who wants to keep their Obamacare plan can keep their Obamacare plan, and that it’s affordable,” but with some income restrictions for the subsidies.
Co-host Joe Mathieu asked, “I’m curious what happens in the immediate term here. There was a bipartisan bill introduced yesterday…would actually extend Obamacare subsidies for one year while also reforming the plan to add some collars around eligibility. Will we need to see a plan, something like that, so there’s not this so-called Obamacare cliff or healthcare cliff that’s looming at the end of the month?”
McClain answered, “Listen, we want to make sure that everybody who wants to keep their Obamacare plan can keep their Obamacare plan, and that it’s affordable, right? We both agree, and both sides agree on affordability. But I think you’re going to see — we have a menu of options. And what we’re going to have to see is how do we thread that needle to make sure that premiums are down, that things are affordable, and that we eliminate the waste, the fraud, and abuse. Because I do believe that both sides also agree that somebody making $600,000 a year doesn’t really qualify for the subsidies or the tax credits. So, that’s what we’re focused on working on. I am an optimist by nature. And I’ve been in those meetings with the speaker and with the heads of our committees. And you will see a plan that will be put on the floor. There’s going to be a lot more work to be done, but it will be a good start.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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