President Trump and his administration didn’t comment on the Obamacare replacement bill House GOP unveiled Monday afternoon, saying only that they support the overall effort to get rid of the law.
Trump noted in a tweet that the measure was public, linking to a statement by House Speaker Paul Ryan about the measure. Trump only added that it’s “time to end this nightmare.”
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the bill is “an important step” in the process of getting rid of the healthcare law and improving healthcare in the U.S.
“Today marks an important step toward restoring healthcare choices and affordability back to the American people,” Spicer said in a statement. “President Trump looks forward to working with both chambers of Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services neither praised nor condemned the House bill, saying merely that HHS secretary Tom Price “welcomes” action to end the Affordable Care Act.
“The Affordable Care Act has failed,” said HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley. “It costs too much, provides too few choices and is only getting worse.”
“Secretary Price welcomes action by the House to end this nightmare for the American people and looks forward to working with Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act and implement patient-centered solutions,” she said.
Two House committees introduced legislation Monday to replace the Affordable Care Act, but it’s far from certain that leadership will be able to rally enough Republicans to pass it. The bill would phase out Medicaid expansion, shift income-based subsidies to age-based ones and get rid of most of the law’s taxes, among other provisions.
