Moving in the Right Direction

For nearly seven years, Americans have struggled under a failed government takeover of our health care system. Former President Obama promised affordable care, more choices, and better competition. Instead, Obamacare’s burdensome mandates have caused working families around the country to experience just the opposite.
 
As several House Republicans, including members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, wrote recently in the Detroit Free Press:

With a GOP majority in both chambers of Congress and a Republican president-elect, America stands at a crossroad. We can fix the problem, or we can maintain the status quo as the system collapses.

Here’s a reminder of what the status quo means: 

• Higher costs: For the millions of Americans trapped in Obamacare exchanges, premiums have risen year after year. The average premium increase in 2017 was 25 percent. 

• Fewer choices: Insurers have rapidly exited the Obamacare marketplaces nationwide. Nearly one out of three U.S. counties has access to only one insurer. And we can never forget the 4.7 million people who lost the health insurance they liked after they were promised they could keep it.
  
  
• Fewer jobs: A recent study found that roughly 300,000 small business jobs were lost and 10,000 small businesses closed as a result of Obamacare’s costs and regulations. 

The choice is clear. The status quo is unsustainable, and Americans need relief. Fortunately, the new Trump administration is already taking steps to ease the burden of Obamacare. And Congress is working to replace this flawed law with step-by-step solutions that provide A Better Way to patient-centered, affordable care. 
 
Reps. Tim Walberg, Mike Bishop, Paul Mitchell, and Dave Trott said it best: “Doing nothing is not an option.” It’s time to fix our broken health care system and ensure more Americans have access to truly affordable, high-quality health care.

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