A group of Republicans stumping for Donald Trump on Tuesday heaped criticism on Obamacare, which their presidential nominee has vowed to repeal.
“Folks, this is lunacy,” Rep. Tom Price, R, Ga., told a crowd in Valley Forge, Pa. “This is what happens when you put the government in charge, which is why we need Donald Trump and Mike Pence to work with us and make sure we put in place a real healthcare solution.”
The fourth enrollment season in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces kicked off Tuesday. Consumers this year face higher premiums and fewer options, although federal subsidies will blunt the actual cost of coverage for most people.
Trump is planning to give a major speech Tuesday criticizing the law and promising to repeal and replace it if he is elected president next Tuesday. A handful of House and Senate Republicans gathered onstage before Trump’s arrival to blast the healthcare law and urge voters to support Trump so Congress can get rid of all or much of it.
Rep. Renee Ellmers, a nurse from North Carolina who won her seat largely on opposing the healthcare law, referred to Obama’s recent defense of the law, when he compared it to a starter home that is meeting a need but could use some improvements.
“Obama said this is a starter home,” Ellmers said. “If it’s a house, it’s an outhouse.”
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is standing by the law, although she wants to expand parts of it to make coverage more affordable for Americans.
Sen. John Barrasso told attendees Republicans will never be able to pass their own healthcare plan should she win the presidency.
“Ladies and gentlemen, [the law] is now collapsing,” the Wyoming Republican said. “Republicans are here today with solutions and relief. If Hillary Clinton is president of the United States, we will never get there.”
