Rep. Paul Ryan (R- Wis.) admits that Obamacare might just be broken beyond repair.
“You can’t fix a fundamentally broken law; you’ve got to replace it,” Ryan argued in a new op-ed in USA Today. “That’s why Congress can’t save Obamacare with a few tweaks, despite what its defenders say. No quick fix can correct the main flaw: The law takes power away from patients and hands it to bureaucrats.”
But since “the worst is yet to come” — the individual mandate, tax season — Paul argues that changes must be made to the law. Although they won’t solve the larger problem, he said, they can help ease the burden.
“But just because we can’t fix Obamacare doesn’t mean we can’t start to get rid of its worst features,” he wrote.
Paul timed the op-ed to coincide with the House’s efforts to reinstate the 40 hour work week. Under the healthcare law, large employers must provide insurance to employees working full time or face a penalty. But right now Obamacare defines full-time work as 30 hours per week, cutting hours for many employees and leaving businesses in a lurch.
The House will take up the issue Thursday.
“Ultimately, the law will collapse under its own weight,” Paul wrote. “Until then, we have to start building a better health care system in its place. And we need to start with a new principle: Put the patient in the driver’s seat. That’s how we can build a healthy economy.”
