News 5 requested responses from each of the six U.S. Representatives that serve districts in Northeast Ohio, regarding their opinions on the current proposals to repeal the Affordable Care Act and a recent statement from President Donald Trump, suggesting that all Americans will have healthcare coverage.
Each Representative’s office, with the exception of Rep. David Joyce (R – Richmond Heights), responded and sent the following statements.
Ohio’s 7th Congressional District
Representative Bob Gibbs (R – Avon)
"Congressman Gibbs' goal has always been to repeal and replace Obamacare, which has failed the American people with skyrocketing premiums and higher deductibles. We need to increase access to care by putting patients first and coverage through market-based reforms, not through the burdensome taxes and mandates Obamacare imposes on the American people."
Ohio’s 9th Congressional District
Representative Marcy Kaptur (D – Toledo)
"My vote against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act last week was reaffirmed in every conversation I had in Cleveland over the weekend. To repeal ACA without an immediate replacement is irresponsible and harmful to real people across Ohio who rely on its benefits. If the President-elect actually follows through on a plan that includes 'insurance for everyone' as he said this weekend, then Congress should hear him out. In the end, Congress should move forward and build on the progress of our current law absent a political agenda that has driven the discussion to date."
Ohio’s 11th Congressional District
Representative Marcia Fudge (D – Cleveland)
"I am a staunch supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and oppose actions to repeal it. While not perfect, the landmark law has improved the health of thousands of Ohioans and increased access to quality coverage for millions of Americans. Recent reports show that the health of nearly one million Ohioans would be endangered without the ACA or a suitable replacement. Repeal without replacement would cost 3 million American jobs with 126,000 of those jobs in the State of Ohio. Further, repeal without replacement would add 350 billion dollars to the U.S. deficit.
"The GOP has had six years to develop an alternative, but all I've heard is rhetoric. Without no GOP replacement plan, the future of our nation's access to quality health care is in jeopardy. It is my hope that my colleagues will do what is right for the American people by protecting and enhancing the plan we already have - the ACA."
Ohio’s 13th Congressional District
Tim Ryan (D – Akron)
"It was without hesitation that today, as I have done dozens of times, voted against legislation that would begin the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The ACA has helped millions of Americans gain health coverage since its passage, including those who can no longer be denied for pre-existing conditions and those young adults who can now stay on their parents' plan until the age of 26. My constituents in Ohio need jobs, and they need healthcare. By simply repealing this law, Republicans are turning their backs on the men and women of northeastern Ohio struggling to make ends meet."
"I have heard a lot of talk from President Trump and Congressional Republicans about repealing the Affordable Care Act, but I have yet to see a single plan for what they will replace it with. There is no doubt that the ACA can be improved upon, but that doesn't mean we should throw the whole thing out and leave millions upon millions of Americans with higher premiums, less coverage or no insurance at all. Instead of causing this immense, manufactured chaos for purely political purposes, let's work together, fix what's broken and keep what works. That's what being a leader is all about."
Ohio’s 16th Congressional District
Representative Jim Renacci (R – Cleveland)
“The primary problem with Obamacare is that it has decreased competition and failed to deliver affordable healthcare options for the people of Ohio and the nation. That is why I support repealing Obamacare and replacing it.
A replacement plan must address this lack of competition in the healthcare marketplace by:
o expanding consumer choice,
o permitting people to purchase insurance across state lines, and
o allowing people to actually choose healthcare plans that meet their needs.
Any plan to ensure universal access to coverage also needs to maintain protections for those with pre-existing conditions and allow people to stay on their parents' plan until they're 26. If you have access to coverage now, we want you to still have it under a replacement.
President-elect Trump's comments over the weekend are consistent with what he has said all along. The president-elect has long been vocal about his support for keeping both of these provisions.”
