House Democrats on Friday called on Republicans and President Trump to help them fix the troubled Affordable Care Act, which Republicans have warned is on the verge of imploding, instead of sitting back and watching it fall apart.
“The law needs nurturing, not neglect,” said Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., head of the House Democratic Caucus. “We can’t let that happen. We all have a responsibility to that law. To nurture it, to keep it working.”
Trump said Friday that the GOP’s failure to pass a repeal and replace measure would mean that Obamacare faced certain failure in the coming months and years that the Democrats would have to own.
Many health insurance analysts have warned the individual market is in a death spiral because insurance companies are backing out and costs are rising significantly for consumers.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., warned Friday that Obamacare would remain law “for the foreseeable future” because Republican efforts to pass a measure to replace it came up short.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi blamed the high costs on rising drug prices for the law’s problems and suggested she could work on the issue with Trump, who has made a pledge to cut drug costs.
Pelosi otherwise remains a staunch supporter of Obamacare, which she helped write.
“Let’s just for a moment breathe a sigh of relief for the American people that the Affordable Care Act was not repealed,” Pelosi said.
