Scott Walker Vows to Strip Members of Congress' Health Subsidies to Gain Vote for New Health Plan
Republican hopeful Scott Walker vows to strip away the federal health insurance subsidies of members of Congress and their staff in order to get the votes he needs to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The GOP candidate needs 60 votes in the Senate to replace President Barack Obama's health care law, and Republicans only hold 54 seats, U.S. News reports according to AP.
Members of Congress and their staff are entitled to special health care subsidies for being government employees.
Walker vows that he would strip each member of their benefits on his first day as president with an executive action, so that they would be inspired to vote on his new law.
"On Day One, I will sign an executive order removing President Obama's special deal for Congress," Walker promised. "Having to live with the same premium increases that other Americans have suffered under Obamacare should light a fire under Congress to act quickly."
"It shouldn't be taken seriously," Tim Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia said of Walker's plan. "It's just a political talking point."
Meanwhile, the GOP hopeful says that removing employees' subsidies would raise insurance costs for them and would likely motivate lawmakers to repeal and replace Obamacare.
"To cause Congress and their staff to lose all subsidies would be unfair," said Gail Wilensky, an economist and adviser to Republicans.
"From the beginning, it was clear that Obamacare would fail the American people," Walker said in a CNN op-ed in June. "The administration and Congress owe it to them to detail their plan to protect Americans whose access to health care could be impacted by the court's decision."
Will Walker's plan work? Lawmakers say it is not as easy to cut healthcare benefits as Walker makes it seem. In fact, making such a move could not happen overnight and would likely prompt Cabinet officials to go through a long, drawn out process before it even happens.
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