Jerry Moran, the Republican U.S. Senator from Kansas, garnered a little extra attention this week as one of the Republican Senators who announced opposition to the GOP Healthcare bill meant to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Moran said his opposition was based on the fact that the bill neither repeals the ACA or replaces it with something that would allow premiums to decrease.
“We’d end up with the worst of both worlds – continued government involvement in healthcare decisions, intrusion into families’ lives and their relationship with their physician – and at the same time, we don’t end up with a result in which healthcare is more affordable.”
Moran added that a new plan must be “beneficial and get rid of the bad features of Obamacare.” “Healthcare, in my view, ought to be addressed by looking at what drives up the cost unnecessarily and instead Congress – beginning with Obamacare – spent all of its efforts trying to figure out who pays for healthcare.”
Part of the reason that Moran’s opposition sent shock waves through Congress is because the current Senate bill is GOP backed.
“While I know that there is some politics involved in the issue of Obamacare – the real goal here is not in Republicans and Democrats – it’s in finding the role that government should play in healthcare in a way that improves the access to affordable healthcare for Americans.”
In his conversations with Kansans concerned about family members and access to affordable healthcare, Moran notes that this is “very personal”.
“While there is some cry that we just need to do something – in my view, we need to do something that is actually beneficial and not harmful,” said Moran. “This is 20 percent of the United States economy; I would suggest that we have Congressional hearings, bring in the experts – let’s not just tinker with Obamacare, let’s not just tinker with Medicaid.”
Moran maintains that his goal is to repeal Obamacare, but he could not support the new Senate bill proposal.
Moran, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, all were in opposition of the GOP healthcare bill.