Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch is coming under fire after he made comments Tuesday that seemed to criticize Americans who have health insurance under the Obamacare law.
"The public wants every dime they can be given," the longtime Utah lawmaker said, CNN reports. "Let's face it, once you get them on the dole, they'll take every dime they can. We've got to find some way of getting things under control or this country and your future is going to be gone."
Hatch was responding to a question about how the Senate is handling the American Health Care Act, which the House passed last Thursday. The bill is now being examined in a Senate panel, a group that includes Hatch.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told CNN Hatch's comments are offensive to everyone on Obamacare.
"People who are getting access to healthcare are not on the dole," Murray said. "They are working families . . . This is America. Certainly, we don't call people who need healthcare people who are on the dole."
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