WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monday, U.S. Sens. Richard Burr, Tom Coburn, M.D., and Orrin Hatch unveiled the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act, or Patient CARE Act. Patient CARE is a legislative plan that repeals Obamacare and replaces it with common-sense, patient-centered reforms that reduce health care costs and increase access to affordable, high-quality care. In contrast with Obamacare and its government-centered mandates and regulations, the senators’ proposal empowers the American people to make the best health care choices for themselves and their families.
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Hatch’s speech to the Senate Jan. 27, 2014
Following today’s release of the plan, the three senators will work with their senate colleagues and experts across the health care community to further refine and improve upon the proposal, with the goal of building consensus and introducing legislation.
Burr said:
The American people have found out what is in Obamacare — broken promises in the form of increased health care costs, costly mandates, and government bureaucracy. They don’t like it and don’t want to keep it. Our nation’s health care system was unsustainable before Obamacare, and the President’s health care plan made things worse. That’s why the Patient CARE proposal repeals Obamacare and focuses on targeted reforms that will lower costs and expand access to quality care. We can lower costs and expand access to quality coverage and care by empowering individuals and their families to make their own health care decisions, rather than empowering the government to make those decisions for them.
Coburn said:
For millions of Americans, Obamacare itself has become a preexisting condition that has caused them to lose their insurance, their doctors and their choices. Congress has a responsibility to not only repeal this misguided law but replace it with a plan that will provide better care at a lower cost, and will help preserve programs like Medicaid instead of driving them closer to bankruptcy. It is unfortunate the Senate Majority Leader blocked a vote on an alternative in 2009. But it’s critical we chart another path forward. Our health care system wasn’t working well before Obamacare and it is worse after Obamacare. Americans deserve a real alternative, and a way out. I’m pleased to take this important step with my colleagues.
And Hatch said:
Forcing too many Americans out of the insurance they have, away from the doctor they trust and, for some, out of the job they need, Obamacare is a disaster. With our plan, we’ve shown once again that by empowering Americans – not Washington – with the right tools and information, they will make the best informed health care decisions for themselves. After first repealing the President’s health law, we take aim at the chief concerns of the American people – greater economic security by driving down costs and expanding access to high-quality care through increased insurance market competition and reforms. What we’ve put forward is sustainable and achievable – and without the tax hikes, mandates, and budget-busting spending that have made Obamacare so unpopular with the American people.
The Patient CARE Act provides a legislative roadmap to fully repeal the President’s health care law, known as Obamacare, and replace the law with common-sense measures that would:
- Establish sustainable, patient-centered reforms
- Adopt common-sense consumer protections
- Create a new protection to help Americans with pre-existing conditions; Empower small business and individuals with purchasing power
- Empower states with more tools to help provide coverage while reducing costs
- Expand and strengthen consumer directed health care
- Modernize Medicaid to provide better coverage and care to patients
- Transition to capped allotment to provide states with predictable funding and flexibility
- Reauthorize Health Opportunity Accounts to empower Medicaid patients
- Reduce unnecessary defensive medicine practices and rein in frivolous lawsuits
- Medical Malpractice reforms
- Increase health care price transparency to empower consumers and patients
- Requiring basic health care transparency to inform and empower patients
- Reduce distortions in the tax code that drive up health care costs
- Capping the exclusion of an employee’s employer-provided health coverage
Resources
- A detailed summary of the proposal can be found here.
- A side-by-side comparison to Obamacare can be found here.
- Frequently asked questions on the proposal can be found here.
- Illustrative examples of how patients –who are harmed by Obamacare— are helped under the proposal can be found here.
Submitted by the Office of Sen. Orrin Hatch
Related posts
- Hatch: Report confirms ObamaCare has not played a role in reducing health care costs
- Hatch: Union exemption from Obamacare tax is payback; senators introduce Union Tax Fairness Act
- Hatch co-sponsors legislation to delay Obamacare mandate
- Senators seek contractors detailed role in work on ObamaCare Exchange website
- Hatch on Obama’s remarks re healthcare.gov website glitches
- Perspectives: Shutdown; to make our lives difficult as they can
- ‘The Life of Julia’ under Obamacare, will she: pay more, have information privacy, access to quality care?
- Launch of nation’s Health Insurance Marketplace just around the corner; where to get help in Southern Utah
- What the HAYnes? Obama, keep the change
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An it only took the Republicans 5 years to come up with an alternative. Massive Massive Failure. Late to the party and not even fashionably late.
Obamacare with all its flaws at least is something. What the h*ll has the other side come up with over the last few decades when something was obviously badly needed … absolutely nothing. All they’ve ever done is crap on anything proposed. The Right all thought social security and medicare were these evil communist ideas. How many of you HATE your social security and medicare??? So this garbage: way too little, way too late. Thanks Orrin for more of nothing.
Do these GOPers ever get the message? Ever? OMG seriously trying to repeal this law for what the 44th time? We have to get rid of these idiots.
Orrin, go back to sleep. You’re less offensive that way. Better yet, RETIRE.
Where were you and your cronies 10 years ago, 7 years ago, 5 years ago???
I’ll tell you where…you and your cronies busied yourselves living high off the hog. You’re not only doing too little too late…you can’t even implement anything until Barry and Harry leave office.
Go away Orrin. You’re a disgrace and an embarrassment.
Where have they been the past 5 years? They could have been working for the American people but all they’ve done is run up a $50million bill us taxpayers have to pay for their admittedly fake votes to repeal ACA. Congress only “works” 126 days a year and we’d all be better off if they added those days to their vacation time. With the damage they do, I’d be willing to pay them to stay home.
This is just another repeal attempt disguised as a bill. It strips the ACA of it’s power, and reverts everything back to the way it was pre-2009. Sorry, you may think Americans are dumb enough to buy your lies, but in reality, we’re on to you, and all you old white men are going to find yourselves jobless, just like all those poor people your rich buddies have fucked over that you demonize.