The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is like car insurance in which riskier drivers are subsidized by safer motorists — and that's why it has to be repealed and replaced, Sen. Mike Lee said during an online town hall meeting.
"Imagine if car insurance companies were required to charge everyone the same car insurance rate regardless of how likely they were to get into an accident," Lee, a Utah Republican said Wednesday night, The Salt Lake City Tribune reports.
"Those of you who are older and perhaps have good driving records — no tickets, no accidents — would be forced to pay higher insurance premiums.
"You'd, in effect, be subsidizing younger and riskier drivers while not receiving a reward for your safe driving. This is sort of like what's happening under Obamacare."
Lee said he understood that car insurance and health insurance are "very different products," adding, "people can choose not to drive, but many people need health care in order to survive."
Senate Republicans continue to push Obamacare repeal and replace legislation saying President Barack Obama's signature legislation is collapsing. They plan to introduce a revised Better Care Reconciliation Act bill on Thursday.
But a recently released Kaiser Family Foundation of the current healthcare marketplace in the first quarter defies the gloomy rhetoric coming out of Capitol Hill.
"[There is] more evidence that the individual market has been stabilizing and insurers are regaining profitability … Insurer financial results show no sign of a market collapse," Kaiser wrote.