Vice President Mike Pence promised a group of Wisconsin businessmen that the Trump administration will replace former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law with a system that ensures greater flexibility over coverage, The Hill reports.
Pence made the remarks in Milwaukee at Direct Supply, which sells equipment and services for senior living communities. “Help is on the way”, he said.
“The ObamaCare nightmare is about to end. We are going to repeal and replace it once and for all”, Pence added.
The vice president’s sentiments were underscored by Julie Champine of Waukesha County. She said that her health insurance premiums have risen so sharply under the Affordable Care Act that she and her husband, Bart, had to choose between paying for insurance or buying Christmas gifts for their children.
Even after $979 a month in premiums, Champine said, she and her husband still had to meet a total of more than $13,000 in annual deductibles.
“It has been devastating to us financially. Every purchase I make, I question”, Champine said, adding that they can’t afford to go to the doctor.
“Her story is one that millions of Americans are facing every day,” Pence said.
The Vice President has been touring the country and holding meetings in order to gather support to replace the ObamaCare bill, as the Senate works on its own version of a healthcare bill adopted by the House. The legislation still faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
With pressing budget deadlines looming and Trump eager to focus on tax legislation, Senate Republican leaders say they’re close to calling for a vote on their health plan, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Republicans control the Senate 52-48 and will need 50 votes, plus Pence to pass their bill. That means they can only lose two lawmakers, a tall order given significant disagreements that persist over Medicaid and other issues, including money for Planned Parenthood.
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