The Republican Party finally revealed their health care bill earlier this month, which was met with almost universal backlash. As the party is getting ready to vote on the repeal of the affordable care act, former President Barack Obama has decided to speak out in defense of his signature legislation.

Obamacare on health care

When he was first running for president, Barack Obama followed in the footsteps of the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy and vowed to change the American health care system. Just a year after being sworn into office, Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, into law.

The bill wasn't everything liberals had hoped it would be, but it was seen as a positive step in the right direction and helped lower the uninsured rate to record lows. Despite this, Republicans made it their mission to repeal and replace Obamacare, which became one of the main talking points during the campaign of Donald Trump. With Republicans now in complete control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the party is taking the first steps to delete Obama's landmark piece of legislation. As reported by USA Today on March 23, the former commander in chief is speaking out.

In a statement released Thursday morning, Barack Obama didn't hold back his thoughts on the current state of health care in the country.

"The reality is clear: America is stronger because of the Affordable Care Act," Obama said. After making his case for why Obamacare has been a positive for the American people, Obama decided to deliver a subtle jab at Republicans.

"If Republicans are serious about lowering costs while expanding coverage to those who need it, and if they’re prepared to work with Democrats and objective evaluators in finding solutions that accomplish those goals – that’s something we all should welcome," Barack Obama pointed out.

However, the former president made sure to cast doubt on the current repeal and GOP approved alternative. "We should start from the baseline that any changes will make our health care system better, not worse for hardworking Americans," he said, while adding, "That should always be our priority."

Next step

The GOP health care plan, titled the American Health Care Act, was hit with a lethal blow by the Congressional Budget Office earlier this month who predicted that as many as 24 million Americans could lose their insurance by 2026 if the bill is signed int law.

Ironically, if Obamacare was simply repealed and the law reverted back to what is was before the Affordable Care Act, 23 million Americans who lose insurance, a million less than if the new bill became the law of the land.

Earlier this week, Donald Trump met with Republican lawmakers in a last ditch effort to get enough support for the bill to move to the Senate. However, after threatening those who didn't back the replacement plan, Trump lost 10 votes from House Republicans in the process.
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