Posted on 04/02/2017 4:48:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
For eight years, I have joined my colleagues in the fight to repeal and replace the train wreck that is Obamacare. This was the call heard around the nation for years, particularly leading up to President Trump's historic victory. We promised the American people that if they supported us, help would be on the way. As a conservative, I believe that the federal government should have a limited role in our personal lives, including health care. As a cancer patient, I knew the importance of getting this bill right and replacing Obamacare with a patient-centered solution that also ensures access to care for the nearly 30 percent of Americans with pre-existing conditions. But as the American Health Care Act teetered on the edge of a cliff, it was the Freedom Caucus that helped give it the final push.
How did we get here?
A little history. The truth is that while most Americans had no idea what the Freedom Caucus was until a few weeks ago when it became the official opposition to the Obamacare replacement plan, this group has quietly existed for a while. Two years ago, the most conservative members of the House – myself included – banded together to force leadership to give conservatives a seat at the table when negotiating major legislation. Our goal was to advance the most conservative agenda possible in Congress and give a voice to our constituents who felt that they did not have one. Until this year, we faced a president who opposed everything we stood for, and a leadership that excluded us. This year, that changed.
From start to finish, Speaker Ryan has gone out of his way to be inclusive, and President Trump literally brought us to the table, listening to our concerns, agreeing to some of the group’s demands, and changing the bill to be more conservative. The caucus asked for major concessions, and the bill was changed to include some of them. At a meeting at the White House, the president even agreed to change what is considered Essential Health Benefits by amending the bill to allow states to make that decision. But the goalpost kept moving further and further down the field. It became clear to me that no matter what was included and changed, the answer would still be no. That’s why I left the Freedom Caucus even though I agree with them on most issues and consider them my friends. The bill wasn’t perfect – no piece of legislation is – but it was absolutely far better than Obamacare. Like it or not, the reality of the makeup of the House and Senate is that if you demand a purist repeal of Obamacare, it will die on the floor. This was our chance to make meaningful change.
The Freedom Caucus served as a check on a liberal administration and former House leadership that repeatedly compromised with Democrats. Times have changed. Republicans – mostly conservatives – control it all now. It is our time to lead. It is our time to unify and deliver on the promises that we made for years. Those calling for otherwise have been in Washington long enough to know that you do not get everything you want in any bill.
We can no longer allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. The American Health Care Act included major conservative reforms. It would have repealed the individual and employer mandates, reduced taxes, expanded health savings accounts, ensured access to coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, and allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ plan. It would have also defunded Planned Parenthood. Overall, this bill would have accomplished much of what we have been seeking all along, and the administration had committed to push forward what couldn’t be done in this bill separately.
I want to be part of the conservative majority that delivers solutions. Americans voted for solutions. Americans voted for help to make their lives easier and more affordable. We must give them the solutions they demand, that they deserve, and that we promised. I am encouraged that conversations have restarted within the House Republican Conference, and I hope that we can all get on the same page in the hymnal and produce a bill that delivers on our promise to the American people.
And that’s just the way it is.
Well as Hostage said...it’s a cluster ‘f’.....no matter how the Republicans cackle about it..... they STILL come up as the same old ‘incompetent’ bunch they’ve always been.
And you’re right they are out of excuses...if it weren’t for local elections I’d be signing up as Independent!
All this Russian fiasco is the Dems and media’s game shot and they’re drum beating this like there’s no more tomorrow as a means to keep the corruption they’ve undertaken in a smoke screen. I don’t buy it one bit! Especially when Hillary and Obama had their coffers full of foreign political contributions from gov. entities we’re at war with!
The political climate is full of nothing but toxic reporting and the spreed of here and Internationally.....very little do I pay any attention to as it’s all smoke an mirrors full of bitterness and sour grapes which is so very obvious to any with even an ounce of wisdom......and I don’t see the Republicans stepping up the least bit effectively to oppose it.
I truly feel for Pres. Trump as he weathers this onslaught and give him great credit for going forward non the less. It’s soo very bad for this country what the Demorats/MSM are doing....and they have no concern that it is.
As I see it bad apples of both parties are obstructing it all...they were bad apples before Trump and they’re much more so now.......but since David did slay Goliath with the hand of the Almighty God..then I am not prepared for any of the good men to throw in the towel....you can never tell who or what will change what we are seeing to something never expected!
Poor start.
I was very concerned that given the very weak start, as citizens we would never see part 2 or 3. We would be stuck, forever, with Obamacare-lite. I e-mailed my representatives to vote against it
**IF***....They had included sell insurance across state lines, then I would have e-mailed my representatives to support it.
Pas de quois Jane !
The insurance Companies are drooling over the Ryan bill because they now have a market which has trained their clients to be accustomed to $6000.00 to $10,000 deductibles.
Those deductibles will never go down if the Insurance Companies have their way in the Ryan bill, their profits will skyrocket.
We need interstate Health Insurance competition badly. Without that we will have no equitable health insurance for the people with 1000 dollar deductibles or $500 deductibles as we should have and indeed, had in the past.
The Freedom Caucus is a pack of saboteurs who do nothing but help the democrats.
All the True Conservatives keep lauding how awesome the Freedom Caucus is.
I can't help but wonder.......
Did the Freedom Caucus have a bill ready to present to the House to deal with Obamacare?
Where was their proposal?
I haven't read anywhere that the Freedom Caucus had an Obamacare repeal bill, an Obamacare repeal and replace bill, an Obamacare repair bill, or any kind of legislation to fix the situation.
As usual, the True Conservatives are perfectly happy to watch the country burn, as long as they get to virtue signal about Muh Constitution! and Muh Freedom!
They simply just sit back and watch what's going on around them, sit on their hands, and whine.
You should do a little research before saying things. You really do not know about which you speak.
I agree entirely. Ted Poe must be beginning to channel our worthless Senator, “John Wayne” Cornyn.
And THAT is why we MUST REPEAL!
We won’t het a straight repeal. Too many repub moderate senators oppose it.
Then Trump is a liar and not the leader of the party
Bingo. All of this back and forth is just foreplay, something better than ryan-obamacare will pass.
It turns out that a legislator’s opinion the travel ban doesn’t matter at all, while it is quite weighty in the far more important health care issues.
State regulations were always in effect either positively with laws and regulations or negatively with bribery to avoid them. State insurance commissioners are big players in state politics.
Representative Poe has now confirmed that the HFC did move the goalposts, and as such, was being disingenuous.
I am confident something will get done soon, and I'm equally confident that cirtually nobody—not the American people, not the purists, and not me—will be satisfied.
Regardless, I will stand with President Trump. What's good enough for him is good enough for me, at least for the moment. He deserves that much.
Sometimes baby steps must suffice in order to get a constructive process started...
Hey POE; BULLSHIT!
A bad bill is worse than no bill because it is hard as hell to change it once it’s in place like a tick on a dog’s ass.
**IF***....They had included sell insurance across state lines, then I would have e-mailed my representatives to support it.
I don’t claim to be an authority on Obamacare or healthcare in general, but I understood that Secretary Price had the ability to do that once Ryan’s bill went into effect. Everyone involved (even some democrats) have said they want to change this idiotic rule.
I believe Trump (or Spicer for him) said this during the push to get the Ryan bill passed and Hannity also talked about it on his radio show.
If I am wrong, I apologize, but I understood this would be changed after the initial bill. Hearing Tom Price talk about what would happen in phase 2 encouraged me and Trump promised phase 2 and phase 3. None of this was set in stone so the opportunity to pass something and begin the heavy lifting was worth taking - warts and all.
Just my .02
Trump never promised a straight repeal. Always repeal and replace
Yep and you gave up and let the people who elected you down. You are nothing but part of the cesspool now.
A lot of people are going to be pretty upset if their insurance is suddenly canceled by Congress. They won’t understand the nuances of statute expiration dates down the road. They will also wonder how any replacement of the insurance they will loose is going to happen in the time needed. A lot of them were Trump voters and Republican voters. While some of it is about getting votes. More of it is about campaign contributions. The best health bill that corporate money can buy.
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