Update: Reichert defends GOP health-care bill following report that millions would go uninsured
After remaining silent about the
Reichert had been mum on the CBO report despite multiple requests for comment. The statement came after The
The statement says the CBO estimates the plan will "reduce premiums on families, increase health care options, cuts taxes, and decrease the deficit by
It continues: "It is assumed in the report that when individuals and families are no longer forced to sign up for insurance fewer will choose to do so. It's not the government's job to force Americans to buy something they do not want and can't afford to use. Instead of penalizing people for not purchasing insurance they do not want and that does not meet their health care needs, our plan lowers costs and allows individuals to choose the right plan for them. And according to a
"The American Health Care Act is just the first step in our plan to provide Americans with more affordable, patient-centered health care. The CBO's score does not include the additional steps that are critical to our overall health care solution. Our goal remains to provide access for all Americans. Through work with the Administration and additional reforms, we will continue to increase competition to provide more choices and lower costs for families."
Here is the original story:
"No one is gonna lose coverage. Let me just make that clear again. No one will lose coverage," Reichert said during a
But he's remained silent since the
The CBO report, released Monday, has spurred new controversy over the
Rep.
Reichert, who represents
It was in lieu of hosting a public town hall that Reichert did the
"I will not support a health-care bill that does not include replacement. And so when we talk about -- in our office, when we talk about health care, we're talking about repeal and replace. And it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen," Reichert said during that interview.
In the past, Reichert himself has cited CBO reports which backed proposals he favored. For example, in a 2013 news release, he cited CBO research suggesting federal welfare programs were creating disincentives for poor families to get jobs.
Reichert was among the
Rep.
"While some may use 'alternative facts,' my constituents and I live in reality. And there is no denying that the CBO score confirms this is a dangerous and irresponsible bill that threatens to destabilize our nation's health-care system, rob millions of Americans of their health insurance and raise costs for middle-class families, seniors, women and people with disabilities," DelBene said in a statement after the CBO report was released.
In
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