Weekly Column: Repeal and Replace Obamacare

The American people deserve a healthcare system that works for them, not against them. One that is truly affordable for all families, offers viable health insurance options and strengthens patient-provider relationships. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, fails on all these fronts. Instead, the ACA has brought about more government, more bureaucracy and more rules and regulations that have resulted in soaring health care costs and less access to care for families across the country.

I, along with many of my Senate colleagues, promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and recently we had the opportunity to follow through on that promise. On December 3rd, we passed a bill to repeal significant portions of the Affordable Care Act.

My office has received phone calls and letters from hundreds of South Dakotans telling me how unaffordable the so-called Affordable Care Act really is for them. Premiums for certain plans in South Dakota have increased by nearly 50 percent under the ACA, forcing some families to choose between paying outrageous rates and forgoing health insurance all together just so they can afford to pay their mortgage and put food on the table. This is unacceptable.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the healthcare law will cost American taxpayers more than $116 billion a year. In fact, on average, every household in the United States can expect more than $20,000 in new taxes over the next 10 years. This is a heavy burden to place on the already over-taxed, over-regulated American people.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act is only the first step in a long journey towards a better healthcare system. Congress must work together to create a replacement plan that puts the patient first. We also need a partner in the White House who understands that significant changes must be made in order to repair our broken healthcare system.

Any replacement plan must be market-based and patient-centered in order to be truly affordable for families. This can be achieved by enacting transparent, step-by-step reforms. I support common-sense initiatives, like expanding Health Savings Accounts and creating pools, such as the Multiple Employers Welfare Trust, in which small businesses can unite to secure better rates. The worst parts of Obamacare, such as the employer mandate, individual mandate and the Independent Payment Advisory Board, have no place in any future health care plan. 

We can cut costs by reforming medical liability laws as well. Our current system encourages frivolous lawsuits which come at a high cost to doctors, taxpayers and truly injured patients who deserve timely compensation. Lastly, we must hold insurance companies more accountable by increasing transparency, standardizing paperwork and helping those with pre-existing conditions maintain access to care.

Allowing healthy competition within the private insurance market would allow families to choose the healthcare plan that best fits their needs and budget. I will continue to advocate for these responsible and effective solutions as we move forward with a replacement plan. The Affordable Care Act greatly expanded the government’s role in health care, and it very clearly did not work. This is the message the American people are sending and this is the message Congress sent by passing legislation to repeal Obamacare.