From repeal to repair: GOP changes rhetoric surrounding ACA

Questions over the ACA’s future have lingered for months, with Republican lawmakers continually saying they will repeal the health law. However, The Hill reports the GOP is changing its stance and saying they plan to repair the law.

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Here are four notes:

1. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told reporters the GOP will eliminate some provisions and maintain or change others.

2. Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said a repair may be more realistic as many Democrat will work to prevent a full ACA repeal. He told reporters, “ObamaCare wasn’t passed by reconciliation, it can’t be repealed by reconciliation. So we can repair the individual market, which is a good place to start.”

3. The party isn’t completely unified behind the diction change, with some saying the GOP should maintain its focus on completely repealing the ACA. Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) said this change goes against the promise President Donald Trump and the GOP made to Americans.

4. A full ACA repeal could have major consequences for legislators in states that opted to expand Medicaid. Some lawmakers believe a full repeal could disrupt the insurance market, and these fall-outs could hurt the Republican Party’s reputation in future elections, The Hill reports.

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