President Donald Trump’s administration has promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and now, a congressman in San Diego is proposing a new health care plan to Congress.
Congressman Darrell Issa is one of the first Republicans to propose a replacement plan. In an interview Saturday, he told NBC 7 he calls his plan “The Access to Insurance for All Americans Act.”
The plan would give people access to the federal employee health benefit plan that government employees use. It calls for no mandates on businesses and individuals.
Issa’s plan would keep a popular aspect of Obamacare: guaranteed coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.
NBC 7 spoke with San Diegans Saturday about the proposal. In the North County, residents had mixed feelings about what people want in a national health coverage plan.
“I think making sure that people have choices is important,” one person said. “I think also having our kids covered until they’re 26 – that’s important. I also think [coverage for] pre-existing conditions are important.”
“Now that we have the accessibility, now we need affordability,” said local Eric Carlson.
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“I just think everyone is entitled to have health care, regardless of how we pay for it,” one man told NBC 7. “We’re America; we should be able to take care of people, including our veterans.”
Issa said his plan offers more choices.
“The federal employees, the bureaucrats, if you will, who write the laws, over 11 million of them enjoy a health care system that has over 200 choices – [that] has national affordability, has no pre-existing conditions, has no age discrimination,” Issa said.
The congressional budget office reports that tens of millions of people could lose insurance if there is no replacement for Obamacare.
In the coming week, more Republicans will likely present their own replacement plans.
Read Issa’s full proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, here.
