Obamacare has to be repealed and replaced because America can't afford the taxes, borrowing and regulations of an "entitlement program on top of existing entitlement programs," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal tells
Newsmax TV.
In an exclusive interview with "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth, the contender for the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination says health care has to come down to "affordability," protecting "the vulnerable" and giving more power to "doctors and their patients."
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Jindal says his plan to replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act will require clear steps.
"First, you repeal and replace all of it," he said. "We can’t afford the taxes, we can’t afford the borrowing, we can’t afford… the new entitlement program on top of the existing entitlement programs, we can’t afford all the regulations and all the spending."
He said to then bring down the cost of health care, people should be given standard tax deductions to obtain healthcare from their employers "or otherwise," including through churches or trade groups.
He added there also should be a system of "cross-state purchase of insurance so you have more competition," an "expanded access to medical and health savings accounts and wellness accounts," and a "crackdown on frivolous lawsuits."
"If you do those things, independent studies show you can reduce the average premium for the average family by $5,000," he said.
Jindal said the government should also provide $10 billion a year to states to help patients with pre-existing conditions and other vulnerabilities.
"Let [the states] have the flexibility to do things like high risk pools, reinsurance – there shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all federal approach," he said.
"Finally, empower doctors and their patients," Jindal said, adding: "The real question is who do you trust? Bureaucrats or patients and their doctors?"
Jindal says he's stuck to a message on the campaign trail urging voters "to believe again in America."
"I have fought tirelessly to protect our First Amendment rights, unlike President [Barack] Obama and [former] Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton," he said. "My views on marriage are not evolving. … We need to, at the federal level, remind this court that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we also need to defend our First Amendment rights."
"The United States didn’t create religious liberty," Jindal added. "Religious liberty created the United States of America."
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