GOP must keep promise to repeal ACA

The Republicans ran on repealing Obamacare. It’s time they stick to it.

The Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, is no longer affordable. Premiums for Obamacare plans in Georgia will go up to 19.1 percent and some states are seeing as much as a 116 percent increase.

Since 2010, Republicans have promised the voters to fully repeal Obamacare. Now that we have given them control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, they have no more excuses. Constituents should urge their representatives to fully repeal Obamacare using the so-called “two-budget strategy” and “reconciliation.” Congress should begin this process now by passing the fiscal year 2017 budget that failed to pass last year. This would allow them to use a filibuster-proof process known as budget reconciliation to pass a simple, one-sentence repeal of Obamacare with 51 Senate votes and have it ready for President-elect Trump to sign when he takes office in a few weeks.

Once Obamacare is repealed, Congress should pass a second budget for fiscal year 2018 that lowers spending levels. Then they can debate and pass a series of conservative, free-market health-care reforms that enact consumer choice, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and lower costs. It provides ample time for individuals who have insurance through the Obamacare exchanges to transition back to the individual market without losing coverage.