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WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at opposing sides as Congress considers proposed Republican changes to the Obama administration health law.
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SUPPORTING THE BILL:
President Donald Trump: "We're going to do something that's great and I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives."
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Vice President Mike Pence: "I really do believe this is an extraordinarily important moment in the life of our nation, and every American who longs to see us start over on health care reform that will respect the doctor-patient relationship, that will harness the power of the free marketplace to lower the cost of insurance, that will give states freedom and flexibility to improve Medicaid for our most vulnerable citizens can let their voice be heard."
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House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.: "It repeals Obamacare's taxes, it repeals Obamacare's spending, it repeals Obamacare's mandates. It creates a vibrant market where insurance companies compete for your business, where you have lower costs, more choices, and greater control over your health care. And it returns power — this is most important — this returns power from Washington back to doctors and patients, back to states. This is what good, conservative health care reform looks like."
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.: "This isn't a law that can be fixed. This isn't a law that can be saved. It has to be repealed and replaced. We promised the American people we would. We're keeping our promise."
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Neil Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: "Critically important provisions in the recommendations repeal a substantial number of the most harmful provisions in the Affordable Care Act: the health insurance tax, the medical device tax, and the tax on prescription medications; restrictions on the use and limitations on contributions to health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts; and the penalties associated with the employer mandate."
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OPPOSED TO THE BILL:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: "This is a tax cut for the wealthy with some health insurance provisions tacked alongside of it."
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.: "If Republicans have their way, working families, older Americans, and people with disabilities will face huge new health costs."
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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah: "We promised the American people we would drain the swamp and end business as usual in Washington. This bill does not do that. We don't know how many people would use this new tax credit, we don't know how much it will cost, and we don't know if this bill will make health care more affordable for Americans. This is exactly the type of backroom dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for, and it is not what we promised the American people."
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.: "It still looks like Obamacare Lite to me. It's going to have to be better."
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Conservative advocacy groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, backed by the billionaire Koch Brothers: "As the bill stands today, it is Obamacare 2.0. Millions of Americans would never see the improvements in care they were promised, just as Obamacare failed to deliver on its promises."
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David McIntosh, president of the conservative advocacy group Club for Growth: "Republicans should be offering a full and immediate repeal of Obamacare's taxes, regulations, and mandates, an end to the Medicaid expansion, and inclusion of free-market reforms, like interstate competition."
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Andrew W. Gurman, president of the American Medical Association: "The AMA supported health system reform legislation in 2010 because it was a significant improvement on the status quo at the time; and although it was imperfect, we continue to embrace its primary goal - making high-quality, affordable health coverage accessible to all Americans. As drafted, the AHCA would result in millions of Americans losing coverage and benefits. By replacing income-based premium subsidies with age-based tax credits, the AHCA will also make coverage more expensive - if not out of reach - for poor and sick Americans. For these reasons, the AMA cannot support the AHCA as it is currently written."
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Joyce A. Rogers, AARP: "This bill would weaken Medicare's fiscal sustainability, dramatically increase health care costs for Americans aged 50-64, and put at risk the health care of millions of children and adults with disabilities, and poor seniors who depend on the Medicaid program for long-term services and supports and other benefits."
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Richard Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association: "It appears that the effort to restructure the Medicaid program will have the effect of making significant reductions in a program that provides services to our most vulnerable populations, and already pays providers significantly less than the cost of providing care."
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