Rep. Chris Collins suggested Thursday that major effects from repealing Obamacare aren’t likely to be felt until after 2018, saying there’s “no reason to worry” for the next two years.
“We will repeal it quickly. The replacement is something you’ll see sometime in the June, July time frame,” Mr. Collins, New York Republican, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“We’re not going to pull the rug out from anyone. There’s not going to be any changes in 2017. There’s not going to be changes in 2018,” Mr. Collins said.
“Those products have already been approved by the state insurance agencies or, for the 2018 time, are in negotiation right now,” he said.
“So we’re talking about new plans in 2019 or later that will be more affordable, let patients pick their doctors,” he said. “We’ll have to figure out exactly how we make sure that Americans are not disadvantaged, and that’s a promise we’ve made.”
“We’re not going to pull the rug out from under anyone, so there’s no reason to worry the next two years,” he said.
Mr. Collins was the first sitting congressman to endorse President-elect Donald Trump’s candidacy.
The Obama administration has had to defend in court its own plans to delay certain parts of the law, such as the employer mandate for companies with a certain number of employees to offer health insurance coverage.
Delays in that area of the law were announced ahead of the 2014 midterm elections.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.