Tom MacArthur (R, NJ-03) worked diligently to rescue the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Leonard Lance (R, NJ-07), along with the rest of the N.J. House delegation, opposed the controversial health care reform legislation.
Unsurprisingly, the Garden State-based colleagues offered very different takes on Friday evening following the AHCA’s demise.
“Greater choice and competition will be the free-market forces that lower health care costs for all Americans,” Lance declared. “The legislation Congress was considering this week missed that mark and did not meet my goals for an Obamacare replacement plan: greater access for the American people, better options for all patients and lower costs across the health care market. I am hopeful future legislation will achieve these goals and I will work with President Trump, Speaker Ryan and all those who wish to improve the health care system in this country.
“And that includes my Democratic colleagues. For years Americans have experienced rising premiums, declining insurance options and health care costs that continue to rise,” Lance continued. “President Obama was reluctant to admit any fault in his signature bill and sign any reforms into law. And despite repeated called by Democrats to ‘fix’ Obamacare, they put forward no major legislation. Democrats in Congress need to come to the table. They passed Obamacare into law. They need to help with the solution that all our constituents deserve.”
MacArthur, on the other hand, chastised fellow congressmen for failing to rally around what he viewed as a viable albeit imperfect first step.
“This bill was not perfect—no bill is—but it was a dramatic improvement from where it started. It didn’t have enough votes to pass, but I stand by my efforts to improve it,” said MacArthur. “The only way we’re going to repair our broken health care system is if we work together to fix the problem. Just saying no, which requires no effort at all, or pointing the finger of blame at others is of no value. It is time for action together.”
House Leadership indicated it could be months, if at all, before there’s another attempt at repealing/fixing/replacing Obamacare.
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