Steve Scalise: We Have to Start Over on Obamacare

Lawmakers have to acknowledge that Obamacare doesn't work, and trying to keep some of the reform law's features is no way to move forward, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise said.

"You can't try to dance around both sides of the issue and you can't say it's broken, but let's keep some of Obamacare," the Louisiana Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "You have to start over. And then there is a better way to do this."

Some of those ways would include allowing small businesses to pull together to buy group coverage, or allowing families to buy insurance across state lines, "no matter where it's offered."

He continued that he hopes Democrats like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who has expressed a willingness to work with Republicans, will vote with GOP lawmaker to repeal the Affordable Care Act and then work on reforming it.

"If they aren't willing to be part of that solution we're moving before the American people, know this law doesn't work," said Scalise. "You can't put lipstick on the pig. You have to first repeal the law."

Scalise said it's also important that the nation's governors, whose states have expanded Medicaid, understand that "we want to get rid of this entire law."

"If you think there will be free money coming from Washington, there is no free money," said Scalise. "Our country is going broke. We need to reverse it and get back to balanced budgets and get our economy moving in part of getting the economy moving again is going to be undoing and repealing Obamacare. It will help the marketplace."

The repeal will also help with employment, said Scalise, because Obamacare has made it more difficult to hire employees.

However, Scalise said there are some things those who favor repeal would like to keep, including the pre-existing conditions clause, but there has to be a different way of approaching the issue.

"Let's focus on lowering cost, making sure that somebody with a pre-existing condition can't be discriminated against, but at the same time don't punish everybody by raising up their costs," said Scalise.

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