Gohmert on GOP Replacement Bill: ‘As It Is, It Is Still Going to Be Quite Costly’

Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Happening Now,” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) warned against the legislation House Republicans are pushing to replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Gohmert explained there were some things they could do to win over his and other House conservatives’ support, but he said the current bill did not go far enough in lowering costs.

“[W]e haven’t had those that are pushing this bill actually realize they need our support,” Gohmert said. “They can get our support, but we need to be at least as bold as we were in 2015. And as I mentioned to President Trump when he was on the House floor during the State of the Union, you are being told there are some things we can’t do under reconciliation that we have already done. And so anyway, it seems like the Byrd rule, or the KKK rule — whatever they call it down in the Senate, it seems more like that is a rule that lets them say we can’t do that because the Byrd rule or whatever. There are a lot of things we can do, and the presiding officer makes that call. But if we don’t get there more important parts of Obamacare repealed, what’s really critical is that prices of the insurance won’t go down. The deductibles won’t go down. It will still be hurting Americans.”

“Now we are told, ‘Well no, with this bill we have, we may be able to get up as high as a 10 percent decrease in the 125 percent or 150 percent  decrease,'” he continued. “That’s not going to do it for my constituents. We have to do the right thing in repeal as much of Obamacare as it takes to bring their prices down and to make — give their patients more choices and what they do. It is just unaffordable right now, and I am very concerned that as it is, it is still going to be quite costly. We’re holding out. I learned when President Bush was in the White House — in fact, I told him, ‘Look, you know, I said that I lean yes, you never called me, had me come over to the White House and offered me tea and coffee like these other guys, so from now on, I’m a hard no on everything.’ Then Bush said, ‘Come over to the White House, let’s talk.”

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