Republicans cannot give up on health care Rick Scott

Repealing the failure of Obamacare and replacing it with a plan that actually provides affordable and quality health care for families is something that I focused on long before I became governor of Florida. In 2009, when I was a private citizen, I launched Conservatives for Patients’ Rights because I was concerned about the ramifications Obamacare could have for our nation. What I fought hard against immediately came true. Under Obamacare, costs have skyrocketed and families cannot keep the doctors they like. Obamacare was sold on a lie, plain and simple.

In the wake of the demise of the House Republican health care reform effort in Washington, some are saying we should quit. But a political party that controls both houses of Congress and the White House must be able to make changes that will improve health care in America.

Here is what Congress can do:

First, stop believing in the

grand bargain: As governor, I have learned that sometimes the best way to get something done is to do it incrementally. Ultimately, taking small steps will lead you down the right path to achieve your goal. There are steps that can be taken in Congress that are no-brainers and can immediately start the process of getting rid of this onerous law, including:

uRemove Obamacare’s excessive mandates and taxes.

uAllow insurance to be sold across state lines to encourage competition.

uProtect those with pre-existing conditions and let young adults stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26.

families to buy the health care they want. Second, give states flexibility to run Medicaid programs: Obamacare encouraged a massive expansion of Medicaid to ablebodied adults — even as nearly 600,000 individuals with disabilities nationwide sit on waiting lists to access treatment through Medicaid. Obamacare was a new entitlement program that we could never afford, and it was a dramatic expansion in welfare spending that discouraged work.

Last month, I requested flexibility from the Trump administration to manage our own Medicaid program based on the needs of Florida families. Other states should follow.

While efforts such as tax reform are important to strengthening our national economy, our country will never see the kind of growth we need as long as Obamacare is in place. Our businesses and entrepreneurs will never fully thrive as long as they are burdened by the costs of Obamacare. Washington needs to start delivering on their promise to help American families by repealing Obamacare.

I spent many years building businesses. In business, sometimes things don’t work out. Whenever I had a setback, I made adjustments and tried again. That’s what Congress must do now.

In the real world, you cannot just give up and go home. No, you have to stand in the arena and battle until you get it right. Failing is one thing. But failing and then quitting is unacceptable.