We Made a Promise: Speaker Ryan Talks Health Care Reform on Face the Nation

We Made a Promise: Speaker Ryan Talks Health Care Reform on Face the Nation

March 13, 2017

Speaker Ryan Press Office

Summary: Yesterday, Speaker Ryan discussed Obamacare repeal and replace by way of the American Health Care Act on CBS News's Face the Nation. Watch Speaker Ryan's full interview at: http://speaker.us13.list-manage.com/track/click'u=5fb4099c8dedbe8a58e18dffb&id=067d01afdd&e=1a184d3f98.

Key Quote: "It's not our job to make people do something that they don't want to do. It is our job to have a system where people can get universal access to affordable coverage if they choose to do so or not. That's what we're going to be accomplishing."

On keeping the promise to repeal and replace Obamacare:

"Obamacare is collapsing. If we just did nothing, washed our hands of the situation, we would see a further collapse of the health insurance markets. So we feel an obligation to step in front of that collapse and replace this law with one that works, that has more freedom.... We made a promise to the people who elected us we would repeal and replace this law. And we basically said, this is what we would replace it with. And now we are keeping our word."

"We ran for repeal and replace in 2010. We ran on repeal and replace in 2012, in 2014, in 2016. Oh, by the way, we spent six months last year developing a replacement plan. We ran on that replacement plan.... This has been a long and deliberative process.... Going through four committees, going through regular order, saying we are going to do this for seven years, and now come to the point where we are actually on the cusp of keeping our word, I hardly think that that is rushing things."

On the choices the American Health Care Act will bring:

"This isn't a government mandate. This is not 'the government makes you buy what we say you should buy, and therefore the government thinks you're all going to buy it'.... What we are trying to achieve here is bringing down the cost of care, bringing down the cost of insurance, not through government mandates and monopolies, but by having more choice and competition. And by lowering the cost of health care, you improve the access to health care. And by having the things that we're talking about--tax credits, risk pools, health savings accounts--you dramatically increase the access to health care. But we're not going to make an American do what they don't want to do. You get it if you want it. That's freedom."

"It's not our job to make people do something that they don't want to do. It is our job to have a system where people can get universal access to affordable coverage if they choose to do so or not. That's what we're going to be accomplishing."

Learn more about the American Health Care Act on speaker.gov/healthcare

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