It would be virtually impossible to repeal Obamacare if Democrats took back control of the Senate in November, but Sen. Ted Cruz is still promising to ditch the entire law as president.
The Texas Republican vowed to “repeal every word of Obamacare” when he was asked at a Fox News debate Thursday night whether he would be OK with taking away health insurance that millions of Americans have gained under the Affordable Care Act.
“It is the biggest job killer in this country,” Cruz said. “Millions of Americans … have lost their health insurance, have lost their doctors, have seen their premiums skyrocket.”
Asked what he would replace the law with, Cruz pointed to some reforms Republicans have touted for years: allowing insurance plans to be sold across state lines and expanding tax-free health savings accounts.
Cruz also said he wants to “de-link” health insurance from employment, so people aren’t relying on their job to provide coverage, although he didn’t elaborate on how that could be done.
Those ideas wouldn’t directly provide uninsured Americans with coverage, the way Obamacare does through health insurance marketplaces and subsidies. But conservative health reform advocates have said they could help lower the cost of health insurance and healthcare so more people could afford it.
