Republicans split on scrapping Obamacare vs reforming healthcare law

Republicans are deeply frustrated with the rising costs of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. But while some lawmakers believe it’s time to scrap the system, others fear a wholesale change could do more harm than good.

Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., said she had a hard time imagining what that change should look like.

“I don’t know that you can completely remove it,” Hageman said. “We must have stability and certainty in the market.”

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Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, agrees with Hageman.

“This isn’t going away anytime soon. I think there are some positive parts of the Obamacare policies,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think people want to see [it] go away. “But there are ways to fix this, and it’s not just sending more money to insurance companies.”

On the other hand, lawmakers like Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., had a quick answer on whether Republicans would consider finding an alternative.

“Yes, Obamacare failed,” Fine said. “That’s obvious.”

“Borrowing money from your children and grandchildren to hide what things really cost doesn’t reduce costs. It’s just lying about what they are. I don’t think we have a choice because if we stay on the Obamacare path we’re going to bankrupt the country.”

Amid other questions about health care, the GOP’s divide on Obamacare comes as Republicans consider whether to extend Obamacare’s emergency subsidies or let the aid expire at the end of the month.

Republicans worried about the nation’s financial picture are hoping that eliminating federal aid will help the country get closer to pre-Covid spending levels. Democrats, on the contrary, are worried about subsidies expiring separable 90% of the 24 million Obamacare enrollees receive higher premiums overnight.

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Debates over rising costs in health care, particularly Obamacare, have divided Republicans over whether the system should be reformed or replaced. (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images; Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

According to the committee Responsible Federal BudgetThe annual cost of continuing the subsidies could be more than $30 billion, a nonpartisan fiscal policy think tank said.

As part of those conversations, Republicans explored how they could reform Obamacare to make it more affordable. According to Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., the change cannot be marginal.

“I would say we can’t repair around the edges here. Like if we do, we’re not really going to fix this problem,” Burlison said.

In some ways, Burlison believes replacing Obamacare shouldn’t be the GOP’s focus. He believes that by creating a better alternative, Republicans can encourage policyholders to voluntarily opt out of Obamacare.

“I think we need to make a new option and roll it out. And honestly, I think that option would be so great that no one would want to be on Obamacare anymore,” Burlison said.

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Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., attends the Republican Study Committee news conference to unveil the Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Other Republicans want to explore more sweeping reforms, perhaps even repealing the program, but are skeptical of large-scale change given current political realities.

“The question is: 60 votes in the Senate. It’s not going to happen. That’s not realistic. So let’s talk about things we can pass,” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said when asked whether Republicans should seek an alternative.

Senate Republicans need 60 votes to advance most legislation. They have only 53 seats in the parliament.

Instead, McCormick believes that even if Obamacare remains in place, Republicans could make changes to lower costs that would make health care more competitive.

“The reason you have a competitive market for non-insurance products like LASIK eye surgery is the same now about 40 years ago as it was 50 years ago. Why? Because it’s competitive. It hasn’t increased despite the inflationary costs of everything. Because we have better competition, because it’s not paid for by insurance,” McCormick said. he said.

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“When insurance gets involved, when government gets involved, it becomes more expensive by design,” McCormick said.