Leader McCarthy on the Air: Lower Premiums, Better Quality, and Individual Choice

March 15, 2017

Leader McCarthy on the Air: Lower Premiums, Better Quality, and Individual Choice

Washington, D.C. - House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) spoke on Fox News and Fox Business this afternoon about how Republicans are coming together to fulfill our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare starting with the American Health Care Act (AHCA).

Fox's Happening Now

On how the process is bringing together on health care reform:

"[The American Health Care Act] has gone through two committees already. Not one republican has voted against it. Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means is a microcosm of the Conference. You have from Freedom Caucus to Tuesday Group members--they all voted for it. This is the legislative process. Members want to be involved in it, they are involved. They want to put more ideas, put more ideas. And any senator that wants to deal with it, this is how legislation works. We pass in the House a bill, and the Senate can take up whatever bill they want and they make any adjustments they want to it. So, I look at it as the best way to go forward."

On how the AHCA keeps Republican promises:

"[The American Health Care Act] is exactly what we told the American public we would do. We are going to lower premiums, give you better healthcare at a lower price, and let you be the decision maker in where your healthcare is going to go. Let you decide where you want to go with healthcare, not government one-size-fits-all. You know, when you look at the CBO report, what does it say" That it's going to lower the premiums by 10%. It gives individuals the choice.... Then we provide them with a tax credit so the individual can go into the market. The market will have more choice, which will help competition bring the cost down, but they get to decide what they want, not dictated from government. At the end of the day, lower premiums, better quality, and an individual deciding on their own--I think those are the principles that the American public wants in a health care system, and this is what the plan provides."

Fox Business's The Intelligence Report

On how the AHCA will lower premiums and go through the proper process:

"You understand why we're here, everybody does. Obamacare is failing from the exchanges to the expansion of Medicaid. One-third of all the counties have only one provider, 18 of the 23 co-ops have collapsed. We've got to do something different. Premiums continue to rise.... We're going in three phases. This is our first phase. The CBO comes out and says premiums will be lowered. That's great. And also that the American public could actually choose themselves their healthcare, not government dictating what healthcare plans they have to provide. That's a great start. That's why it passed two committees already with every Republican voting for it. And we'll move it through the Budget Committee, and then through Rules, and then onto the floor, and then it goes to the Senate. And I hear from a lot of different senators. The great thing about it is they're legislators as well. They can offer amendments, they can make changes, give their ideas, and we'll solve the problem."

On how Congress and President Trump are unified to repeal and replace Obamacare:

"I was talking to the President yesterday along with the Speaker. We were talking to the Vice President today. We are a team together with this Administration, laying out a plan--a healthcare plan that actually works, that empowers the individual and lowers the premiums. And that's the bill we have. I think with all of us working together, we can get it through."

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