13 March 2017, 22:37 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Republican replacement bill for the US healthcare system faces a crucial hurdle in the House of Representatives Budget Committee, where lawmakers will recommend changes to protect insurance availability for ordinary Americans, US Congressman Tom McClintock said in an interview on Thursday.
"It’s very important that we not leave anyone in the lurch as we move to the new competitive system when people [will] be in control of their health care decisions," McClintock told Fox News. "We’re all accountable for the results that this process ultimately delivers and we’ve got to get it right."
Budget Committee approval in hearings on Thursday is needed for the legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, to move to the full House of Representatives, where changes can be made.
"I disagree that it [Obamacare repeal] can’t be improved," McClintock said, adding that the bill "will be improved as it moves through the process."
The pending legislation has been criticized over estimates by the Congressional Budget Office that the bill in its present form would cause 14 million Americans to lose insurance and that nearly twice that number would be uninsured by the middle of the next decade.
