In an op-ed column, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-11th District, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., took aim at the process behind and the substance of the replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act introduced by House Republican leaders.
Calling the House leadership measure “ObamaCare Lite,” Meadows and Paul said the proposal — scheduled for committee markup later this week — fails to repeal the ACA, keeps too much government control of health insurance in place, and is set to move forward too quickly to allow proper debate.
The House leadership plan would, as the article notes, replace the premium subsidies in the ACA with refundable tax credits and continue to impose penalties on individuals who did not buy insurance policies (the “Obamacare mandate”), albeit at lower rates.
“ObamaCare provisions dressed up in shiny new GOP-branded clothes would mean the loss of too many conservative votes for passage,” Meadows and Paul said.
The Republicans urge the House first to repeal fully the ACA at some future date before any replacement legislation takes effect.
After repealing the ACA, “We can immediately turn to the replace bills, with a fair, open process much like our budget. Let everyone with a plan or an amendment come forward and speak. Let’s debate, vote and put forward a transparent, fair process so that everyone on both sides of the aisle and all sides of the debate is heard,” they said.
Meadows, in his third term, is chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. He announced last month he would oppose the House leaders’ health-care proposal in its current form.
The op-ed adds to mounting conservative opposition to the leadership plan. Earlier, the activist groups Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, and Club for Growth came out against the bill.