WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Sunday said the GOP replacement for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is aimed to “give access to the most amount of people, at the least amount of cost.”
Paul made the comment during an interview on CNN‘s “State of the Union.”
“One of the key reforms that we will do is, we’re going to legalize the sale of inexpensive insurance,” Paul said. “That means getting rid of the Obamacare mandates on what you can buy. We are going to help people save through health savings accounts, as well as a tax credit.”
Paul said young people are not purchasing insurance through the ACA because “they’re told, ‘Hey you can get it anytime after you get sick’ … and so they’ve broken the insurance model.”
“We’ve had six years to complain and we have complained — I’ve been one of those complaining about Obamacare,” Paul said. “The replacement bill that we put together, our goal is to insure the most amount of people, give access to the most amount of people, at least the amount of cost.”
The U.S. Congress this past week took the first steps to repeal the ACA. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to pass a “repeal resolution” attached to a budget bill that would begin the process of dismantling President Barack Obama‘s signature healthcare program.
“I think this is where Obamacare failed. They wanted to insure people, their motives were good, their heart was in the right place. But they put so many mandates in it that they made it too expensive,” Paul said.
Paul said the replacement bill should be passed at the same time the ACA is repealed. Republican lawmakers have been criticized for threatening to repeal the ACA without a replacement in place, which could cause millions to lose insurance coverage.
House Speaker Paul Ryan this week said the U.S. Congress would not repeal the ACA without a replacement.
“We want to do this at the same time, and in some cases in the same bill,” Ryan said. “So we want to advance repealing this law with its replacement at the same time.”
