House Speaker Mike Johnson criticizes Obamacare and promises “big change” if Trump wins

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson took a dig at Obamacare at an event in Pennsylvania on Monday, telling the crowd that there would be “major” changes to health care in America if Donald Trump were to win the election.

“Health care reform is going to be a big part of the plan. I’m not saying we’re going to have a strong agenda for the first 100 days, we have a lot on the table,” said Johnson, R-La. ., Bethlehem while campaigning for GOP House candidate Ryan Mackenzie, according to. in a video obtained by NBC News.

“No Obamacare?” an attendee asked Johnson, referring to the law Democrats passed in 2010, also known as The Affordable Care Act.

“No Obamacare,” Johnson replied, rolling his eyes. “The ACA is entrenched, we need big changes to make this work, and we have a lot of ideas to do that.”

Johnson spoke eight days before the presidential election in which Kamala Harris and Democrats campaigned to protect and expand the ACA. Trump, who tried and failed to repeal the ACA as president, has asked to reopen the fight, saying on his social media platform that “Obamacare Sucks.” He vowed to replace it but gave no specifics, saying only that he had “ideas for a plan.”

Harris insists that Trump’s one plan is to repeal the ACA, which has extended coverage to about 50 million people in the US since 2014, according to government figures.

Johnson, who voted in 2017 for a Trump-backed bill to repeal key parts of Obamacare, did not specifically call Monday for repealing the Affordable Care Act. His office had nothing to add to his remarks when asked to comment on the changes he is looking at or whether he supports extending the ACA’s subsidies that eventually expire. of 2025. (Harris and Democrats have asked to increase that amount. )

Johnson addressed health care issues with an audience at a campaign event Monday in Pennsylvania, saying members of the House Republican caucus have a “list of options” to improve the system and “get the federal bureaucrats out.” to the country. health care equity.”

He did not elaborate on the changes he would seek, but he made it clear that deregulation would be part of it.

“We want to bring a blowtorch to the regulatory regime. These organizations are weaponized against the people. They are crushing the free market; they are like boots on the necks of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs and risk takers. So health care is beauty is one of the branches, and we need this everywhere,” said Johnson. “And Trump will be great. I mean you’ll only have one time. It cannot stand for re-election. So you will think about the legacy, and we will fix these things. ”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is running to become the 3rd GOP leader in the next Congress, called tackling the big reform of health care and extending the Trump tax cuts in the bill as ‘ another big one in 2025. Not clear. who will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as Senate GOP leader next year.

Any major reform of the ACA would require Republicans to win the presidency and control of both houses of Congress, as Democrats would have to block such efforts. It’s also unclear what changes the GOP can get the votes to pass, as some in the party have called for a turning of the page in the ACA fight.

The 2010 law spelled out new rules for insurance companies to prevent them from kicking out people with pre-existing conditions or charging higher prices to sicker customers. It also provided billions of dollars in subsidies for low-income people to buy response to the private market while expanding eligibility for Medicaid.

Johnson, who has traveled across the country to campaign for GOP House candidates, spoke only broadly at his Monday event.

“If you take the government out of health care and you have a doctor-patient relationship, it’s better for everyone. It’s more efficient, more efficient,” he said. “That’s the market.” free. Trump will be a free market.”