US Senators Propose New Health Care Bill to Repeal, Replace Obamacare

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senators Richard Burr and Orrin Hatch and US Representative Fred Upton, introduced legislation to repeal US President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and replace it with new patient-focused reforms, Senator Burr’s press office said in a statement on Thursday.

“Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton unveiled the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act—a legislative plan that repeals Obamacare and replaces it with common-sense, patient-focused reforms that reduce health care costs and increase access to affordable, high-quality care,” the statement said.

Unlike Obamacare, the Patient Care Act reduces rising health insurance premiums and allows beneficiaries to purchase private coverage, while not imposing federal mandates on employers and individuals, according to the statement.

“We can lower costs and expand access to quality coverage and care by empowering individuals and their families to make their own health care decisions, rather than having the federal government make those decisions for them,” the statement said.

The White House insists that the Affordable Care Act, which provides insurance to 123 million Americans, is a much-needed law that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions, saves money, and insures higher quality care.

The US Supreme Court will rule in March whether the federal government can legally hand out healthcare subsidies to low and moderate income residents in 37 states that have opted out of creating their exchanges.