Rep. Messer Issues statement on American Health Care Act

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on March 27, on the American Health Care Act:

Mr. Speaker, in Indiana, we keep life simple. We love God, country, family, and basketball. And, this time of year, during March Madness, not necessarily in that order. Certain principles are sacred, like you do what you said you were going to do. Some want to make today's debate complicated, but the truth is it's pretty simple. For seven years we've told the American people we would repeal Obamacare. Today we have an opportunity to do that. It's not a perfect bill--no bill is. But President Trump has said this is our best and only chance to get this done.

There is some strong policy in this bill. It cuts taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars and government by hundreds of billions. It keeps pre-existing condition prohibitions and lets 26-year-olds stay on their parents' health plans. Most importantly, however, it unshackles American families from a government forced mandate costing them thousands of dollars each year. This bill represents an enormous change away from an era of taxes, mandates, penalties, and government bureaucrats defining what health insurance plan you are allowed to purchase, and into an era where the patient, the consumer, is back in charge.

Despite today's rhetoric, the choice is clear: you can vote to keep Obamacare or vote to end it. It's really that simple. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, keep your promise, and do what you said you would do.

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