Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is casting much of the blame for rising health premiums on her own party, arguing Republicans should have reformed the Affordable Care Act, and its expiring tax credits, sooner.
Expiring subsidies in the Obama-era bill have been at the forefront of Democrats’ challenge to the House-passed continuing resolution that would reopen the government after funding lapsed more than a month ago.
In an interview Friday with comedian and host Bill Maher, Greene doubled down on her criticism of the GOP caucus and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for failing to give details on an alleged plan to reform the ACA.
“The Democrats passed Obamacare, but yet the Republicans have never done anything to correct the problems that exist with it,” she told the “Real Time” host. “And I don’t think it’s an easy thing to fix.”
“However, it’s something that we should have a plan for, and Mike Johnson, for a month now, cannot give me a single policy idea,” she added. “And I’m angry about that.”
The Georgia Republican argued that the existing health care law has “crushed” the middle class and small business owners, many of which pay for their own insurance. She also claimed that health care premiums — under the 2010 law — increased costs for her family of five from $800 per month to over $2,400.
“I believe that Congress should be solving a lot of these problems,” Greene said. “However, Congress is not solving these problems, and I have Republican leadership.”
The comments echo similar remarks she made earlier this month when pressing the Speaker to bring lawmakers back to Washington to address rising health care costs.
Johnson told reporters on Monday that Republicans have been working on an ACA alternative.
“Republicans have been working on a fix for health care, we’ve been doing this for years,” he said during a press conference.
President Trump on Wednesday also pressed GOP lawmakers to pair up with the Democrats and “do something” that is “much better than ObamaCare,” alleging the program “never worked.”
“I think it’s a great time for the Republicans and Democrats to get together and make something that will work, and let the insurance companies make money — they’re entitled to that, but not the kind of money that they’re making,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.
However, Greene said she has not heard nothing about a potential plan to do so.
“I’m waiting for the plan. I haven’t seen it yet,” she told Maher.
Open enrollment under the ACA began Saturday without subsidies, putting even low-income families at risk for high insurance costs next year.
