Ralph Abraham on Health Care

Repeal ObamaCare; don't expand Medicaid

I am against expanding Medicaid in Louisiana and I believe the Affordable Care Act is a failure that must be reformed either through repeal or new legislation. I would vote to repeal it on every level at every opportunity, but the House has tried that all-or-nothing approach and it has failed every time. If we can't repeal it, we need to change it piece by piece, incorporating the things that do work in a new bill.

ObamaCare a daily dangerous debacle for working physicians

"I've said all along, concerning the Affordable Care Act, there are some great features," Mayo said. "There are some challenges and there are some issues with the Affordable Care Act. You don't just tear up the whole thing and try to bring something back. You just fix what's wrong with it."

Abraham said he thinks it needs to be repealed. "You should come to my practice in Mangham on a daily basis and I can show you the debacle of the ObamaCare law, if we can even call it that," he said. "As a practicing physician, right now, it's not working and it's even dangerous."

No expansion of Medicaid, even if I make money on it

Abraham responded by saying expanding Medicaid would be a bad thing. "You would think if I've made millions of dollars from it, then I would be for it." Abraham said. "To expand Medicaid would take in 500,000-plus people. What the Obama administration won't tell you is that 260,000 of those would be moved from private insurance groups."

Repeal ObamaCare

ABRAHAM: Agree

Fully repealing ObamaCare is important, but not sufficient.

Heritage Action Summary: This vote would fully repeal ObamaCare.

Heritage Foundation recommendation to vote YES: (2/3/2015): ObamaCare creates $1.8 trillion in new health care spending and uses cuts to Medicare spending to help pay for some of it. Millions of Americans already have lost, and more likely will lose, their coverage because of ObamaCare. Many Americans have not been able to keep their doctors as insurers try to offset the added costs of ObamaCare by limiting the number of providers in their networks. In spite of the promise, the law increases the cost of health coverage.

Secretary of Labor Robert Reich recommendation to vote NO: (robertreich.org 11/22/2013): Having failed to defeat the Affordable Care Act, Republicans are now hell-bent on destroying the ObamaCare in Americans' minds, using the word "disaster" whenever mentioning the Act, and demand its repeal. Democrats [should] meet the Republican barrage with three larger truths:

1. The wreck of private insurance: Ours has been the only healthcare system in the world designed to avoid sick people. For-profit insurers have spent billions finding and marketing their policies to healthy people--while rejecting people with preexisting conditions, or at high risk.
2. We could not continue with this travesty of a healthcare system: ObamaCare is a modest solution. It still relies on private insurers--merely setting minimum standards and "exchanges" where customers can compare policies.
3. The moral imperative: Even a clunky compromise like the ACA between a national system of health insurance and a for-profit insurance market depends, fundamentally, on a social compact in which those who are healthier and richer are willing to help those who are sicker and poorer. Such a social compact defines a society.

Legislative outcome: Passed House 239-186-8; never came to a vote in the Senate.