Obama derides 'reckless' plan to repeal now, replace later

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is deriding as "reckless" a Republican plan to repeal his health care law now and replace it later.

Obama is urging lawmakers to come up with an alternative to the Affordable Care Act before voting to gut it. He writes in the New England Journal of Medicine that it would be "irresponsible" to do otherwise and could devastate the health care system.

Obama says the resulting uncertainty could lead insurance companies to bail on the health care marketplaces during the phase-out years, leaving millions without insurance. He says it would set up a "cliff" with harmful consequences if lawmakers fail to approve a replacement in time.

The president says there's no guarantee Republicans will manage to get a "second vote" to approve an "Obamacare" replacement.