Congress should improve Obamacare without taking away what’s best about it, doctors said Thursday. Doctors who treat women and children, as well as general practitioners, made a daylong dive across Senate offices to make the case for keeping important aspects of the Affordable Care Act.
And they rebuked Republicans in Congress for talking up repeal without having a plan for replacement in place. “Currently insured individuals should not lose their coverage as a result of any action or inaction by policymakers,” five medical organizations said in a statement released as part of the lobbying push. “Acceptable reform must continue to ensure access to comprehensive, safe, and affordable care,” said Dr. Thomas Gellhaus, president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The GOP has vowed to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, former president Barack Obama’s signature policy. But since they took firmer control of the Senate, kept control of the House and seated Republican President Donald Trump in the White House, they’ve faltered, quarreling about how to move ahead.