House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back against GOP claims of commitment to preserving the Affordable Care Act, pointing to the party’s history of pledging to repeal it.
“No Obamacare,” he replied. “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we’ve got a lot of ideas of how to do that.”
The ACA was deemed controversial when it was first enacted during President Obama’s administration. The landmark healthcare law expanded Medicaid, made it a requirement for insurers to cover patients with preexisting conditions, and required preventative care coverage. It also allowed young adults to remain on their parent’s health insurance until age 26 and introduced various consumer protections for individuals purchasing their own insurance.
“What we were talking about is we are on a continual quest to lower the cost of health care for people, to protect those with preexisting conditions… to expand access to care and the quality of care,” Johnson told Fox News while accusing Democrats of “lying” about his position.
However, Jeffries denounces Johnson’s claims. He and other Democrats have also proposed changes to current healthcare law, including Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan to expand benefits for at-home senior care.
“We’re committed as House Democrats to protecting the Affordable Care Act,” Jeffries said.
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Source: Black Enterprise
