Rep. Kelly Supports Obamacare Repeal Resolution

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) - a member of the House Ways and Means Committee - issued the following statement today in support of S. Con. Res.3, a budget resolution to provide for reconciliation, the first procedural step toward repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Specifically, the resolution instructs the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to achieve at least $1 billion each in deficit reduction over the 2017-2026 period. The resolution was passed this afternoon by the House of Representatives by a vote of 227-198.

"Today's resolution paves the road to the ultimate repeal and replacement of Obamacare. As the reconciliation process now begins, Americans from coast to coast can rest assured that relief from President Obama's failed health care law is closer than ever. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee to keep our promise to the American people and chart a better way for our country's health care system.

"From the very beginning, Obamacare was a legislative disaster built on dishonesty, deception, and devastating partisanship. It represented precisely how health care reform -- or any major government initiative -- should never be done. The stories from families and workers in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere who've been hurt by Obamacare's higher costs and broken promises have been heartbreaking to hear, but have nevertheless steeled my commitment to resolving this law's consequences, no matter how challenging it may be. The work to responsibly repeal and replace this failed law will continue until cost-lowering, patient-centered health care reform for our citizens is finally achieved."

NOTE: On January 3, 2017, Rep. Kelly introduced H.R. 173, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2017, which will repeal Obamacare's so-called "Cadillac Tax" provision. The widely unpopular provision would impose a 40 percent excise tax on all employer-provided health insurance plans valued at more than $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for families. H.R. 173 is co-sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT). U.S. Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) have introduced identical legislation in the U.S. Senate.

A comprehensive look at the Republican "Better Way" for health care reform can be viewed here http://abetterway.speaker.gov/_assets/pdf/ABetterWay-HealthCare-PolicyPaper.pdf.

Read this original document at: http://kelly.house.gov/press-release/rep-kelly-supports-obamacare-repeal-resolution