February 16, 2017
EXCLUSIVE–RAND PAUL: REPEAL NOW, REPLACE NOW!
by SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY)
Breitbart.com
Weak-kneed Republicans are starting to stammer, talk of delay and say we can’t repeal all of Obamacare. One GOP plan even keeps the Obamacare taxes. Another GOP plan says to blue states: “If you like Obamacare, you can keep it!” and red states will pay for it. Other GOP plans want to keep Obamacare subsidies but rename them refundable tax credits.
Conservatives need to unite behind immediate and complete repeal!
At the same time, conservatives need to rally to a plan that allows more people to buy insurance at a cheaper price. I have just such a plan, and it is gaining momentum.
We should not hesitate. Repeal and Replacement should happen as soon as humanly possible.
Each day, more stories appear about when to repeal, when and how to replace, and every day it seems some in my party lose their nerve.
Let me be as clear as I possibly can: The time is NOW.
We must keep our promises and FULLY repeal Obamacare, every bit of it. We must also at the same time offer to the American people our plan for healthcare going forward, and it must take us away from government control and toward a free market.
Big Government approaches are wrong, whether they are offered by Democrats and Republicans. We must move in another direction.
I’ve offered a broad, bold and free market Obamacare Replacement bill. It is available to view at paul.senate.gov, along with a summary.
My plan will ensure millions more people have access to better, less expensive health care.
First, my plan legalizes the sale of inexpensive insurance. Under Obamacare, it became illegal to sell or buy less expensive catastrophic insurance plans.
Second, my plan allows people to save for insurance by expanding tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s). My plan allows the individual to use their HSA:
To pay their premiums, deductibles, and co-pays
To pay for exercise or weight loss program
To pay for vitamins and other forms of preventative healthcare
As more and more people spend their first dollar out of their HSA account, a marketplace will develop that makes patients cost conscious driving prices down.
Third, my plan will allow every individual the freedom to join an association to buy their health insurance. For the mom and pop small business, my plan allows them to leave behind a terrible system that causes them to live in fear of becoming ill or getting cancer. Allowing individuals to join an association with hundreds of thousands of other individuals will allow them to gain leverage to get less expensive insurance and demand protections against pre-existing conditions clauses.
Virtually every item in my bill has been previously introduced by Republican legislators. My bill is a consensus bill that compiles the reforms all Republicans generally agree with and leaves out controversial subjects like refundable tax credits that will create a new trillion dollar entitlement program.
While it may not be everything everyone would want, it is largely everything we agree on. So let’s get it done, and then continue to work on it over the next year.
So I say, Repeal Now. Replace Now. Keep our promises to those who overwhelmingly voted for change, and do it right now.
As a physician, no one hates Obamacare more than I do. I ran against it. I will vote to repeal it, and I want the chance to do so very soon.
But as a physician, I also know the underlying system is still broken, and simply repealing won’t fix it by itself. We need the kind of reforms I have proposed.
I spoke last week to my fellow physician, incoming HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price. He agreed with me on the need to move soon, and the need to both repeal and offer a replacement.
In fact, as I pointed out to him, many of the ideas in my plan came from bills he has offered in the past as a member of Congress.
So we have broad agreement. We have a mandate from the elections. We just need to have the political will to get it done. I plan to lead this charge.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/02/16/paul-repeal-now-replace-now/
| 
