Roskam: GOP health care plan good for Illinois; Hultgren on the fence
As a fight rages on Capitol Hill over a Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton strongly supports the alternative devised by House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano, however, is still "reviewing the language" before deciding on the American Health Care Act bill that Ryan debuted on Monday.
"With it just coming out this week, the congressman is listening and hearing from constituents about their concerns or questions about the legislation," Hultgren spokesman Jameson Cunningham said. "He wants to hear from them as he makes decisions about the bill."
Roskam, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which began work on the bill Wednesday, said in a statement the proposal "empowers individuals and families by equipping them with the resources to make the best health care decisions for themselves.
"We're providing monthly tax credits for low- and middle-income individuals and families. We're expanding access to health savings accounts," he said.
The Republican plan retains parts of the ACA that prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage for pre-existing conditions and lets young people stay on their parents' plans until turning age 26.
Democrats have dubbed the policy "Trumpcare" after President Donald Trump, who supports the bill. They say the Republican plan will leave millions without health care by ending subsidies and Medicaid expansion, is unsustainable because it drops the current act's mandate for people to get insurance, and creates a tax credit program too complicated for the average person to use.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner withheld comment on the new GOP plan Wednesday.
Illinois expanded its Medicaid program under Obamacare, but the Republican program would roll back that growth.
"We continue to review the proposal ... to see how it will impact both our Medicaid population and consumers facing exorbitantly high insurance rates, and continue to emphasize that any change should be thoughtful and fair to the people of Illinois," Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said.