Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), along with Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Republican Conference Chair Mike Pence (R-IN), Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI), House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Joe Barton (R-TX) introduced the Reform Americans Can Afford Act. 

The legislation would repeal the government takeover of health care and replace it with the commonsense solutions that would keep Washington out of the doctor’s office and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, would lower health care premiums by up to 20% compared to the Democrats' law.  It would also repeal the one-half trillion dollars in tax increases and one-half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' actuaries said could jeopardize access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Congressman Herger, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health: “At town hall meetings, rallies, and the ballot box, the American people have made it clear that they oppose this new big-government health care law, and Republicans are listening. Our bill would repeal this deeply flawed law that piles trillions in debt onto future generations along with hundreds of billions in tax increases, and replaces it with commonsense reforms that address the core problem – the rising cost of health care - without increasing government.  It is essential that we repeal this massive government intrusion into Americans’ health care which promises to skyrocket costs even further.  

House Republican Leader Boehner: “The American people want to repeal this new health care law and replace it with sensible, step-by-step reforms that actually lower costs and protect jobs.  Rep. Herger has put together a bill to do just that.” 

House Republican Whip Cantor: “At the start of the health care debate last year, President Obama and the democrat majority made two critical promises. They assured the American people their bill would lower costs and that if they liked the coverage they had they could keep it.  The American people have learned that the new health care law will meet neither of those tests.  The American people deserve better, and that’s why we need to repeal the $1 trillion government overhaul of health care and replace it with a bill that makes lowering costs the first priority."

House GOP Conference Chairman Pence: “The American people are sick and tired of runaway spending and increased government. They certainly did not sign up for a government takeover of health care. House Republicans stand with our nation’s hard-working taxpayers and will repeal ObamaCare and start over with real reform that gives the American people more choices, not more government.

House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Camp: “The Democrats’ health care law is proving to be bad for workers, employers and taxpayers.  Instead of raising taxes, increasing the deficit and adding new mandates on families and small businesses, we should be lowering the cost of health care for families and employers.  This bill repeals the Democrats’ health care law and replaces it with common sense provisions that will reduce premiums without raising taxes or cutting Medicare.”

House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Kline: “The American people are demanding action to right the wrong of the Democrats’ government takeover of health care; today, we’re delivering the solutions they want and deserve.  Instead of tax hikes, Medicare cuts, and government mandates, the Republican plan offers a series of sensible reforms that will bring down health care costs and expand access to affordable care for all Americans.”

Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Barton: “There are hundreds of reasons to have second thoughts about ObamaCare,” said Barton. “For example, we just learned this week that military personnel, of all people, are banned from insuring their adult children like everybody else. Here are four more fatal flaws:
“1. Section 1513 – Companies whose employee health insurance is not ‘acceptable’ face an annual fine of $2,000 per worker, or $3,000 when an employee takes taxpayer-subsidized ObamaCare, instead.
“2. Section 1501 – Taxpayers who can’t prove to the IRS that they have government-approved insurance face an annual fine of $2,085.
“3. Section 3201 – 10 million seniors with a Medicare Advantage plan will see their benefits cut, and some will lose their plans entirely.
“4. Section 2001 – People who earn less than 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level will be automatically dumped into the welfare program, Medicaid.”

Other original cosponsors of the Reform Americans Can Afford Act include:

Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Charles Boustany (R-LA)
Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Geoff Davis (R-KY)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
John Linder (R-GA)
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA)
Tom Price (R-GA)
Dave Reichert (R-WA)
Peter Roskam (R-IL)
Pete Sessions (R-TX)
John Shimkus (R-IL)
Pat Tiberi (R-OH)

A short summary of Reform Americans Can Afford Act can be found here.

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