Dear Barbara,
Thank you for contacting me regarding replacements for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). I am glad to have the benefit of your views on this issue.
Congress has already taken the necessary steps to begin repealing this unpopular health-care law. Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 (S. Con. Res. 3) passed by a vote of 51-48 on January 12, 2017, with my support. This repeal resolution initiated the process of ending Obamacare by setting the necessary budgetary levels for the next eight years. On January 13, 2017, the House of Representatives also passed S. Con. Res. 3.
Obamacare greatly increases the government's role in our health-care system, fails to lower costs, and raises taxes and premiums. Americans deserve affordable, high-quality health care – not a 2,700-page bill that puts Washington bureaucrats in control.
There are many Obamacare alternatives being considered in the United States Senate. Certain aspects of the current law would easily pass Congress again after a full repeal, including provisions protecting individuals with preexisting conditions and maintaining dependent coverage through the age of 26. I am committed to finding a new approach to health-care reform that actually lowers the cost of care for families and workers.
I support lower premiums and patients' freedom to choose their providers. In 2008, I introduced legislation that would have broadened insurance competition across state lines, giving individuals and families more choices and using market forces to drive down costs. My bill would have allowed patients to keep their current doctor and would have helped Mississippians who cannot afford health insurance. I believe in workable solutions that empower patients – not unelected bureaucrats –in their health-care decisions.
Be assured I will keep your views in mind as I work with my colleagues in Congress to find a common sense replacement to the harmful health-care law. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of assistance.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely,
Roger
Roger F. Wicker
U.S. Senator
555 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C., 20510
202-224-6253
Dear Senator Wicker:
Before replying to your letter, I waited until the CBO scored the Republican healthcare bill. What a disaster!
For years we have listened and watched as the GOP voted to repeal the ACA. It's 2017, so you all have had 7 years to craft replacement legislation. Seven years and this is the best you can do for to the American people?
In your letter, you stated that ACA is unpopular. I beg to differ. If the ACA is so unpopular then why have we been able to to insure so many more people? As you stated in your letter, the Senate vote for repeal was 51-48. That is not very convincing.
Is the ACA perfect? No, it is not. Is it better than what was available before 2010? Yes, it is.
This week there has been much discussion about the CBO being off in its ACA estimate of the number of people it would insure. Why is that? I think it is because 19 states did not take advantage of the Medicaid Expansion. MS is one of those States. According to the Kaiser Foundation, 164,000 more Mississippians would have benefited from the Medicaid Expansion. What did you do about this? Did you call our Governor and encourage him to participate? Or was your stance to just say no because it was Democratic legislation?
It is time for you to do what is right for MS. We are a relatively poor state. We need the benefits offered by the ACA. It would be best for the citizens of MS if you would spend your time helping to fix the ACA. It is popular with the American people.
By the way, the new healthcare legislation does not repeal the ACA. It amends the ACA. So, now we have a healthcare bill that is 2700 pages plus the Republican suggestion.
In closing, I want to convey to you exactly what I prefer in healthcare legislation. I prefer Medicare for all. Why?
1. Healthcare is a right.
2. Free market healthcare has not worked and is not available anywhere in the world.
3. Medicare for all will control costs and premiums
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