Florida congressmen reacted as the U.S. House of Representatives pulled a vote on the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare at the last minute Friday afternoon.
Congressmen were scheduled to cast their ballots on U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Health Care Act Friday afternoon, but Ryan yanked the bill at the request of President Donald Trump when Trump knew the proposal would fail.
The plan to repeal and replace Obamacare was one of the signature promises the president made as he campaigned last year.
Congressmen scrambled to work at the plan for days, with negotiations running late Thursday night. The new bill is full of changes from the original Affordable Health Care Act -- among some of the changes is eliminating the individual mandate which penalizes people for not having health insurance.
The AHCA would also repeal the employer mandate requiring larger companies provide insurance to employees or face financial penalties. Under the AHCA, patients will also be able to deduct more health care expenses from their income taxes
The majority of the Florida delegation planned to vote “no” on the plan. Nine congressional Republicans planned on voting in favor of the measure.
Here’s how Florida congressmen are reacting to the news:
REPUBLICANS
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis
“My main concern has been, and will continue to be, making sure my constituents have access to the best possible health care. Our efforts do not stop here to ensure our nation’s health care system is stronger, more affordable, and truly patient-centered. That is my goal, and I will keep working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to accomplish it.”
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo
“The decision by House leadership to postpone a vote on reforming our healthcare system was necessary to ensure more time is available to understand the serious impacts this proposal will have on the American people. I have been and remain supportive of the positive, bipartisan aspects of ACA, such as prohibiting discrimination against women, allowing young Americans to remain on their parents’ plans, and guaranteeing coverage for those suffering from preexisting conditions. Throughout this entire process of working on healthcare reform, I have strongly advocated to improve the proposal through more support for disabled and elderly Americans and further expanded coverage by increasing tax credits for lower income Americans.
“I knew crafting legislation to repair our healthcare system and ensure it operates more efficiently would not be easy, and we must take time to weigh all considerations. It remains critical that more be done to assist the most vulnerable in our communities, which is why I will work with my colleagues in favor of solutions that will improve this proposal. Our country deserves a healthcare system that puts patients first. That’s my goal.”
U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis
"The House health care bill is a flawed piece of legislation produced by a hasty process and it shows: by leaving the core architecture of ObamaCare in place, it does very little to address the core problems of rising health insurance premiums and lack of consumer choice that have harmed so many Americans. In fact, it very well may have caused insurance premiums to increase 15-20% over and above the anticipated ObamaCare increases over the next several years, which is unacceptable.
"There was no reason to rush this bill through the House to begin with. Congress should take its time and pass a good bill that actually repeals ObamaCare, puts a downward pressure on insurance premiums and expands competition in the marketplace. Failure is not an option."
U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn
Obamacare will continue to harm Americans with higher costs, lost coverage, and fewer choices. That’s unacceptable. We were sent here with orders to end this law and replace it with a patient-centered approach that actually lowers the cost of care. Today’s events will not deter or discourage us from honoring the commitment we made to the voters that elected us.”
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz
"Today the Republican-controlled House of Representatives let down President Trump and, more importantly, the American people. We did so in the most cowardly, craven way possible — by failing to vote on the repeal of Obamacare."
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast
"Over the last several months, one of my top priorities has been listening to people in our community about how they will be impacted by health care reform. I’ve heard over and over again about the incredible burden that Obamacare has placed on 18th District families. Because of Obamacare, two of our counties now have only one insurer on the individual exchange, while premiums and deductibles have become beyond unaffordable.
“During my more than 12 years in the Army, I never went into one battle that was finished with one shot and I never went in with the perfect plan either, but what I learned is that when we went in unified and we worked together, we never lost. Our broken healthcare system will not be fixed overnight. As I have said from the beginning, the only way we can fix the failures of Obamacare is through a fully transparent process that engages voices all across the country. Moving forward, I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in working to improve our nation’s healthcare system to ensure that everyone has the liberty to choose the health care that is best for their life.”
U.S. Rep. Bill Posey
“Early on in the Obama Administration I met with then-Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius. I asked if we could move forward together with legislation to address three areas of health care with a bipartisan consensus: helping people with pre-existing conditions, allowing young people to stay on a parent’s insurance plan, and preventing insurance companies from dropping people when they fell ill. Unfortunately, Secretary Sebelius stated that Administration would not work with Congress in these three areas. Instead, they planned to transform America’s health care in its entirety.
“Since then I have heard from many constituents about how their premiums have skyrocketed to unaffordable levels, how their choices have dwindled and how their employment has suffered as a result of many of the policies included in Obamacare. From the beginning, the goal of repealing Obamacare, which I support, was to enact legislation in its place to bring down prices and offer consumers more choices through competition, including those with pre-existing conditions. Regrettably, this bill falls short of that goal. Congress should take more time to get it right.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney
"It wasn’t a hard vote. We’ve been campaigning to repeal Obamacare for eight years…We wanted to put our marker down that the thing we’ve been campaigning on for eight years we were willing to do,” Rooney told the Palm Beach Post.
“The American people rank the congressional approval rating below Fidel Castro, who is dead. And today they’re right. We failed the American people. There’s no other way to say it. We failed. They put their trust in the Republican Party to lead and we didn’t."
DEMOCRATS:
U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist
“This is a win for the American people. It was a bad bill, plain and simple. It would have harmed our seniors, and particularly those who often don’t have a voice in the debate – ‘the least among us’ if you will, the poor and the disabled. We have the opportunity now to drop the rhetoric, roll up our sleeves, and work together to fix what needs fixing to bring down costs, expand access, and protect the most vulnerable in our society. I’m an optimist, this was a teachable moment, and I think the lesson will be learned. Work together, put people above politics.”
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch
"President Trump and Speaker Ryan should be ashamed of themselves for trying to force through a disastrous bill that would have ripped away health coverage from tens of millions of Americans, dramatically increased premiums, and severely cut Medicare and Medicaid," said Congressman Deutch. "The American people spoke loud and clear; they do not support gutting their own health benefits in order to give massive tax cuts to health insurance companies. House Republicans need to start working with Democrats on real policy solutions that will benefit the American people."
U.S. Rep. Val Demings
“Overwhelmingly the American people have voiced their opposition to the Republican’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The voices of the American people were heard, and we will not be forced to live through the harmful effects this bill would have had.
“Republicans have been promising to replace the Affordable Care Act with something better for seven years, but the destructive bill that they proposed would force people to pay more for less coverage, erase protections for preexisting conditions, deny veterans additional benefits, force seniors to pay more for care and prescriptions, and shorten the life of Medicare."
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings
House Republicans and President Trump tried to takeaway healthcare from millions of Americans and they failed. Today’s defeat of TrumpCare is a victory for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, families, children, women, and every one of the 24 million people who would have had their health coverage stripped from them under the Republican plan.
“When Congress reconvenes next week, Democrats will continue to stand up for the most vulnerable among us. There are many aspects where healthcare in America can be improved. For many of my constituents, the cost of care remains far too high, while for others, access to care remains a challenge. I, like all Democrats, want to make healthcare better for all Americans. If Republicans are willing to join this process in good faith, I would welcome the conversation and work to make improvements that benefit all Americans."
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