Rothfus says he remains ‘undecided’ on House GOP health-care plan
"I told them yesterday I'm undecided," Rothfus, R-12, Sewickley, said Friday.
"I want to make sure that this legislation is going to begin the process of giving consumers more choice, more flexibility away from
Rothfus, who has made repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, a legislative priority since being elected in 2012, said he continued to "drill down" on the details in the Republican proposal that the nonpartisan
But, Rothfus said the
The answer, he said, lies in decentralizing the "command and control" in
"If that's working for your family, great, but it's not working for many, many families," Rothfus said.
Rothfus said providing tax credits to encourage consumers to purchase insurance is a good idea because "it'll help people on the margins."
In weighing the merits of the bill, Rothfus said his focus will remain on the individual market. "What is going to be the impact in the individual market of these reforms?" he said.
One provision in the Republican proposal gives tax breaks to insurance companies that pay their CEOs more than
Critics have said a provision charging higher premiums for people who go without coverage for two months would force younger, healthier people out of the market, causing a "death spiral" for the industry.
When it comes to
On Wednesday, Casey held a press conference in which he labeled the American Health Care Act "Trumpcare" and said it would cause seniors to be "robbed" while enriching insurance and pharmaceutical companies and the wealthy via tax cuts.
"This opens the door for extreme
Rothfus replied that a stability fund would help states with
"He should start to offer some solutions with what we're seeing with these escalating premiums and crushing costs," Rothfus said of Casey. "What's his solution to address the problems? It's unfortunate. People need to start offering solutions."
Like other lawmakers from
While the political bickering gets the spotlight, Rothfus insisted that there isn't one member of the House who does not want people to have access to health-care insurance.
"There are different policy ideas as to how to achieve that end," he said.
___
(c)2017 the Beaver County Times (Beaver, Pa.)
Visit the Beaver County Times (Beaver, Pa.) at www.timesonline.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Poll: Many in 1st Congressional District oppose GOP health care plan
$3.1 million aims to take some teeth out of the fires, floods that plague the Dismal Swamp
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News