On Monday night, the Republican Party finally rolled out their official alternative to "Obamacare." In an attempt to convince low-income Americans to purchase health insurance, a top Republican congressman decided to insult millions of citizens in the process.
Obamacare replacement
Ever since former President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) into law, the Republican Party has been steadfast in their opposition. Obama's signature piece of legislation has been the number one target for Republicans, conservatives, and the right-wing media for the better part of the last decade, and it appears that they are now closer than ever to getting rid of the law in question.
For years, Republicans have talked about "repeal and replace," but often failed to provide an alternative. Just hours after the offical replacement plan was announced, Republicans and Donald Trump touted the bill, celebrating the first step in changing the healthcare system in the United States. As reported by Mediaite on March 7, the issue was front and center during the latest edition of "New Day" on CNN.
(Chaffetz 'iPhone' comments start at 2:20 in the above video.)
Joining CNN co-host Alisyn Camerota was Republican Rep. jason chaffetz who made questionable remarks in his defense of the "Obamacare" replacement. "Americans have choices and they've got to make a choice," Chaffetz said, before adding, "So maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest it in their own healthcare." Not stopping there, Chaffetz went on to say that people will have "to make those decisions themselves."
House Republicans unveil plan for health care overhaul, launching perhaps the year’s defining battle in Congress https://t.co/mRD7UvXhmy pic.twitter.com/3d9tn7asuj
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 7, 2017
Alisyn Camerota continued to press the congressman on the new law in question, with Jason Chaffetz insisting that the government must "be able to lower the cost of healthcare." Following the assessment of recent reports, Camerota noted that the replacement, known as the "American Health Care Act," will actually lead to fewer Americans being covered with health insurance.
Not denying the reports, Chaffetz confirmed that, "Yes, I think that's fair."
NEW POLL: Half of Americans oppose removing ObamaCare mandate https://t.co/Jpdu4VT2b5 pic.twitter.com/HhHTzDhEf4
— The Hill (@thehill) March 7, 2017
Moving forward
As of press time, it's unknown whether or not the healthcare replacement will be able to reach Donald Trump's desk as it's expected to face a tough hurdle, even in the Republican-controlled Senate. In addition, Democrats have vowed to protect Obamacare as long as possible.