WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) and Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-01), as co-chairs of the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) Health Care Task Force, today introduced “The American Health Care Reform Act (AHCRA),” to repeal Obamacare, establish patient-centered reforms and develop free-market solutions for America’s health care sector.

“Before coming to Congress, I owned and operated a small insurance agency for 20 years, and I’ve seen firsthand how unfair policies and limited competition in the insurance market increases premiums, restricts access to care, and hurts American families,” said Rep. Austin Scott. “The solutions to these problems are not found in more federal control of American’s health care; and back home in Georgia and across this nation, American citizens are suffering from the president’s broken promises under the unaffordable Obamacare law.  That’s why today, I am proud to join my colleagues, Chairman Flores and Dr. Roe, in offering a plan that fully repeals Obamacare while replacing it with a patient-centered, free-market alternative.”

 “The American Health Care Reform Act is a bold plan that will lower costs, expand access, encourage innovation and put patients back in the driver’s seat of their own health care decisions,” RSC Chairman Bill Flores (R-TX) said in a statement. “I commend my colleagues Rep. Roe and Rep. Scott on their hard work and leadership. This bill allows individuals and families to choose the health insurance plan that works best for them, while encouraging insurers to earn their business by offering affordable, competitive plans. While Obamacare continues to result in spiking premiums and unaffordable out-of-pocket costs, our plan provides a new path to lower costs with no new mandates and no new taxes. Conservatives are bringing fresh, new ideas to the table while Democrats, who created this mess in the first place, refuse to help address the many problems Americans are facing because of this law.”

“I am proud to introduce this important legislation, and I thank Chairman Flores and Rep. Scott for their leadership on this issue,” said Rep. Phil Roe. “As families and employers struggle to navigate the many challenges posed by Obamacare, it’s important for Republicans to take their vision for real health care reform to the American people. Throughout the health care debate, Democrats purposely ignored Republican ideas in an attempt to create an illusion that the Affordable Care Act was the only option to fix our country’s health care system. As a physician with more than 30 years of experience caring for patients, I came to Congress to help fix our country’s broken health care system. I’ve seen firsthand how high costs affect families, and I’ve heard directly from patients the challenges they face. The American Health Care Reform Act is a better, patient-centered solution, and I look forward to pushing for these commonsense reforms in Congress.”

Key Provisions - 

·         Fully Repeals Obamacare. AHCRA goes into effect on January 1, 2016 and fully repeals the president’s health care law.

·         Increases Access to Affordable, Portable Health Insurance. AHCRA levels the playing field between people who receive their insurance through their employer and those who purchase it on the individual market by creating a standard deduction for health insurance. Under the RSC’s plan, individuals with qualifying insurance receive a $7,500 tax deduction and families receive a $20,500 deduction. 

·         Expands Insurance Access for Vulnerable Americans. AHCRA ensures those with pre-existing conditions have access to health insurance by expanding federal support for state high-risk pools and expanding portability so Americans can easily move between insurance markets without fear of discrimination based on health status. 

·         Spurs Competition Between Insurers. AHCRA allows people to shop for and purchase insurance plans across state lines, like other forms of insurance already allow. The plan also allows small businesses to pool together to negotiate for better rates.

·         Encourages Innovation. AHCRA establishes an eight year, $15 billion spending fund through the National Institute of Health (NIH) to develop biomedical breakthroughs in the five diseases that cost the most American lives each year: heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. It would also create a $1 billion prize, similar to the X Prize, for a cure to Alzheimer's disease.  

Click hereto read a two page summary of the AHCRA.

Click hereto read the section-by-section summary of the AHCRA.

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