Vice President-elect Mike Pence promised an “orderly transition” through executive and legislative action to repeal and replace Obamacare as President Barack Obama urged Democrats to fight to protect his signature domestic achievement.
“The speaker of the House used the word ‘stable,’ and we will do that,” Pence said Wednesday at a news conference following a private meeting in Washington with House Republicans. There’s a “broad range of ideas on how to do this,” he said, without giving details. House Speaker Paul Ryan said a focus would be on maintaining patient care.
At the same time, Obama — in his final weeks in office — met with Democrats on Capitol Hill to discuss how to defend the Affordable Care Act from being upended by the unified Republican presidency and Congress. The Republican plan would “make America sick again,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference afterward.
Obama “wants us to go out there and fight,” Representative Elijah Cummings said, while fellow Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin added, “We’re going to be engaged and we’re going to fight for everything that we have.”
Pence told Republicans during their private meeting that Trump, on his first day in office, plans to take action on Obamacare through executive orders aimed at making sure the insurance marketplace isn’t disrupted by a repeal, according to Rep. Chris Collins of New York, one of Trump’s earliest House GOP backers.
Republicans hope to have a replacement plan on paper in six months, Collins said.
Obama told Democrats that he takes responsibility for not having fully communicated the potential benefits of the health-care law, according to a Democratic aide.
“Despite the negativity you have a big chunk of the country that wants this thing to succeed,” the president said, according to the aide. “There are real lives at stake in this thing.”
Rep. Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat, told reporters Obama’s speech was “nostalgic” and that he spoke of the 20 million people who rely on Obamacare. He spoke of letters received from people who said they would have died without it, she said.
She scoffed at the GOP’s repeal strategy, saying, “You wouldn’t think of tearing down a house before you have a new one.” Asked whether she intends to work with Republicans on a replacement, she said no.
“We don’t even think of repealing the law. Our job is to save the one we’ve got,” Slaughter said.
Schumer of New York said the health-care law will be the “first big fight of this new Congress.” Republicans are planning a “full-scale assault on the three pillars that support the American health-care system: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid.”
He told reporters that Democrats’ position is that Republicans must first put forth a replacement plan. Then Democrats will respond and decide their next step.
“I think we have unanimity in our caucuses on that position,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, Trump warned Republicans to be careful about their tactics and strategy on the health-care issue.
“Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases,” he wrote on Twitter. “Don’t let the Schumer clowns out of this web.”
“Massive increases of ObamaCare will take place this year and Dems are to blame for the mess,” he added. “It will fall of its own weight — be careful!”
Pence told reporters that he was talking with Republican leaders to coordinate “both a legislative and executive action agenda to ensure that an orderly and smooth transition to market-based health care system is achieved.”
“It will be important that we are careful in how we do that,” he added.
While Trump talks of action with the speed of a tweet, things have a way of slowing down on Capitol Hill, even when party leaders and the president are on the same page.
House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas said a replacement for Obamacare will be be laid out in a step-by step basis. It could be done by August recess but there’s no set timeline, he said.
“This law has failed. Americans are struggling,” Ryan said at the news conference. At the same time, he said, “We want to make sure we don’t pull the rug out from anybody during that transition. That’s the point we’re all trying to make.”
(c) 2017, Bloomberg ยท Billy House, Sahil Kapur
