Sen. Cornyn: Move Healthcare Decisions Out of Washington

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- The office of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, issued the following news release:

Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the need to repeal Obamacare and outlined principles to replace the legislation with high quality, affordable health care that Americans need. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn's remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here.

"It's really important that we keep our commitment to the American people, and I believe we've gotten a mandate as a result of the election on November the 8th that we keep our promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to deliver health care that is affordable and is a matter of individual choice and freedom of choice. The basic problem with Obamacare is that it was command-and-control right out of Washington."

"But I believe, and we believe, that there are certain principles that ought to govern the replacement of Obamacare."

"First and foremost, moving health decisions outside of Washington and back to where they belong: patients, families, and your doctor. We also believe that patients ought to have more tools, like health savings accounts, which they can use to pay for their regular health care, along with perhaps a catastrophic coverage."

"We also believe you ought to break down barriers that restrict choice and prevent Americans from picking the insurance plan that's best for them and their family."

"Another principle that's really important to our health care reform replacement is empowering small businesses to provide employees with the kind of health care coverage that meets their needs through association health plans, so that they can pool their risks together to bring costs down and to increase their choices. And we believe that there ought to be flexibility on the part of the states when it comes to Medicaid spending."

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