Sen. Rand Paul slammed the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, saying Congress will, "as its first course of action, vote to repeal Obamacare. It cannot happen soon enough."
The Kentucky Republican made the comment in an opinion piece Monday for Rare.
"All around us, Obamacare crumbles in chaos. Premiums are exploding. The state-run health co-ops are mostly bankrupt. Many individuals who gained subsidized insurance are still, for all practical purposes, without insurance because the deductibles are beyond the reach of low -income workers," Paul wrote.
The senator said voting to replace the program should happen at the same time and if no replacement is enacted at the same time, lawmakers would then shoulder the burden "for the continuing unraveling of Obamacare. For mark my words, Obamacare will continue to unravel and wreak havoc for years to come."
As to details of an Obamacare replacement, he said, "Perhaps we should try freedom." He then listed four "freedoms" that customers would gain from the repeal.
- "The freedom to choose inexpensive insurance free of government dictates."
- "The freedom to save unlimited amounts in a health savings account."
- "The freedom to buy insurance across state lines"
- "The freedom for all individuals to join together in voluntary associations to gain the leverage of being part of a large insurance pool."
Healthy, young customers did not follow the Obamacare requirement to buy insurance or pay a penalty, which resulted in more sick people on the program, Paul wrote.
Taxpayers having to bail out the insurance industry would be likely if Obamacare is left unchecked, said Paul, who says he wants to remove the requirement to purchase insurance.
"We reject the use of state force to mandate that we buy a commercial good from a private seller."
Paul said that partially repealing the program is more likely than a full one, but if the part that stays in place is the requirement to sell to individuals with preexisting conditions, the senator predicted "mass bankruptcy of the healthcare insurance industry."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that now Republicans must take full responsibility for their plans to repeal and replace the program. "The ball is in their court… you break it, you own it," she said.