Ryan Bill Options

From: Mike Lee <info@leeforsenate.com>

Date: Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 11:00 AM

Subject: Go Small or Go Big!

To: conradquag@gmail.com

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Conrad;

I wanted to give you a quick update on the effort to repeal Obamacare. Unfortunately, the news I have isn’t good.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news you will know that one of the first things Republicans in Congress did this year was pass a bill that would set the wheels in motion to repeal Obamacare through the budget reconciliation process.

In 2015 Republicans had successfully passed a bill that would repeal most of Obamacare, but President Obama vetoed this bill. After promising for years to repeal Obamacare, Republicans in Congress and Americans across the country rightfully believed after the 2016 election that they would finally get relief from the onerous burdens of Obamacare.

We expected President Obama and his supporters to organize in defense of Obamacare, and they have.

I also wasn’t surprised when Republicans in Congress stepped in with a plan that would repeal less of Obamacare than the 2015 bill and replace it with something worse.

What I didn’t expect was for some of those who have been fighting to repeal this bill to settle for something far less than full repeal.

The good news is that the current Obamacare replacement plan doesn’t have enough support in the Senate to pass. I have been one of the senators leading the fight against it.

While I generally believe the intentions of my fellow Republicans are good, I know we can do better. And I know the American people expect more.

So right now when it comes to repealing Obamacare we have two choices: Go Small or Go Big!

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Now both of these options will be better than leaving Obamacare intact. Both of these options will also be better than passing the current replacement bill.

Let me explain.

If we go small, that means we simply repeal Obamacare. We pass an updated, more aggressive version of the 2015 repeal bill that every Republican has already voted for.

Despite the hysteria coming from the Obamacare supporters, no one will immediately lose their coverage if we pass this bill. The 2015 repeal bill creates a two-year window for Congress, the states, insurance companies, the medical industry, the American people, and their doctors to come up

with solutions that finally give the American people the healthcare system they deserve.

The “go small” approach will require putting extra faith in the American people that they can solve these problems without heavy-handed intervention from Washington.

I have faith in the American people, and I would be satisfied with this approach.

Now, if Republicans in Washington decide that the problems plaguing our healthcare system are so big and complicated, that we need a revolutionary change to the system driven by federal legislation, then we should go big.

This approach would require a different kind of faith – a faith in our conservative principles. I am equally confident that this approach would work if we would go all in and replace the current healthcare system run from Washington with a system fueled by consumer choice, competition, and

innovation.

While I think either of these approaches would be an acceptable way to keep our promise to the American people to repeal Obamacare, I am certain that the current Obamacare replacement is a missed opportunity and a step in the wrong direction.

I plan to continue to fight to repeal Obamacare. It is worth taking our time and doing this right.

Because, we can’t afford to lose the trust of the American people right now. When the Democrats ignored the American people and voted for Obamacare, their agenda became dead in the water.

We have too much work to do ahead of us to squander this opportunity. There has never been a more important time to engage in this fight.

Supporters of Obamacare are rallying behind this failed healthcare law – not because premiums or deductibles have finally started getting smaller, nor because insurance companies have stopped fleeing the exchanges, nor because Americans suddenly began enjoying being penalized for being forced to buy something they can’t afford.

No. Obamacare supporters are mobilizing because they sense for the first time that we are on the verge of succeeding in repealing this disastrous law.

So add your name to the list of Americans who are not going to give up when we are so close to winning.

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I will keep you updated on how this all unfolds, and I need you to help me get this message across.

Best, Mike Lee, Utah Senator