U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of a key Senate health committee, said he expects Obamacare to be repealed next year with Republicans controlling both the White House and Congress.
In a speech to the Chattanooga Rotary Club Thursday, Alexander called the premium rate increases by insurers offering individual policies under the health exchange plans in Tennessee “an “Obamacare emergency,” and he said the Affordable Care Plan adopted in 2010 is not sustainable without major reforms.
Repealing and replacing Obamacare with a more competitive and less costly alternative should finally gain the political support for passage in 2017.
“A Republican president, working with a Republican Congress, could reduce Washington’s involvement in our lives and solve some of the problems that were the source of voters’ frustration,” Alexander said. “I think American voters expect that President-elect Trump and Congress will get to work quickly on fixing the Obamacare emergency – providing immediate relief to Tennesseans paying 44 to 62 percent more in health insurance premiums.”
Alexander said states and individuals should have more freedom and flexibility with their health care options.