Cotton: GOP Health Care Plan Is ‘Not Going to Work to Bring Down Premiums’

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” while discussing the current Republican House bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said, “I simply think that it’s not going to work to bring down premiums in Arkansas or for working Americans around the country.”

Partial transcript as follows:

TAPPER: Turning to Obamacare, you’ve been very critical of the bill supported by our previous guest Dr. Price, President Trump, House Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare. You’ve warned that this bill could put the House Republican majority at risk. One major concern about the plan is the way it might impact lower income Americans. You come fromArkansass which is one of the poorest states in the country. If you were designing the plan on your own, would you get rid of theMedicaidd expansion that brought coverage to 250,000 people in your state?

COTTON: Jake, first, let me say I served with Tom Price in the House of Representatives and consider him a good friend. He had legislation as a congress congressman that I think is a lot better than the house bill currently under consideration. TheMedicaidd expansion I think needs to be part of Medicaid transformation and that’s what the house bill moved forward. It can be improved to some degree, but it’s about a 70% or 80% solution, Jake. the bigger problem with this legislation is on the private insurance market. I simply think that it’s not going to work to bring down premiums in Arkansas or for working Americans around the country. We need to roll our sleeves and fix those problems rear than trying to rush to some arbitrary deadline.

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