Green: GOP shoulders blame for not fixing ACA as health premiums rise
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is placing much of the blame for rising health premiums on her own party, arguing that Republicans should have reformed the Affordable Care Act and its expiring tax credits sooner.
The Obama-era subsidy bill was at the forefront of Democrats’ challenge to the House-passed continuing resolution that would restart the government after funding ran out more than a month ago.
In an interview Friday with comedian and host Bill Mah, Green doubled down on criticism of the GOP caucus and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for failing to detail a purported plan to reform the ACA.
“The Democrats passed Obamacare, but the Republicans still haven’t done anything to fix the problems that exist with it,” he told the “Real Time” host. “And I don’t think it’s an easy thing to fix.”
“However, this is something that we should have a plan for, and Mike Johnson, for a month now, has not been able to give me a single policy idea,” he added. “And I’m angry about it.”
The Georgia Republican argued that the existing health care law has “crushed” the middle class and small business owners, many of whom pay for their own insurance. He also claims that health care premiums — under the 2010 law — have increased costs for his family of five from $800 to more than $2,400 a month.
“I believe that Congress should address many of these issues,” Green said. “However, Congress is not addressing this problem, and I have Republican leadership.”
The comments were similar to those he made earlier this month when he pushed the speaker to bring lawmakers back to Washington to address rising health care costs.
Johnson told reporters Monday that Republicans are working on an ACA alternative.
“Republicans are working on a fix for health care, we’ve been doing it for years,” he said during a news conference.
President Trump also pressed GOP lawmakers on Wednesday to team up with Democrats and “do something” that is “much better than Obamacare,” a program he alleged “never worked.”
“I think it’s a great time for Republicans and Democrats to come together and create something that will work, and let the insurance companies make money — they’re entitled to it, but not the kind of money they’re making,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.
However, Green said he had heard nothing about possible plans to do so.
“I’m waiting for the plan. I haven’t seen it yet,” she told Maher.
Open enrollment under the ACA began Saturday without subsidies, putting even lower-income families at risk of higher insurance costs next year.
