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GOP rep: We won’t pull rug out from anyone on ObamaCare

by Nikita Vladimirov - 11/11/16 10:56 AM ET

.@RepChrisCollins on Obamacare: In 2017, we're not going to be pulling the rug out on anyone. https://t.co/SP0PUkInwU

— New Day (@NewDay) November 11, 2016

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) on Friday said the GOP’s coming push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act won’t result in people losing ObamaCare coverage next year.

“Insurance companies have to put out their plans for 2018, in many cases, by April. So we do have a timeline that we have to adhere to and I think everyone realizes for the year 2017, we are not going to be pulling the rug out from anyone,” he said.

{mosads}With Donald Trump’s election as president, Republicans are gearing up for reversing much of President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Collins said that effort will likely happen in stages.

“Well we can move things simultaneously, I think the first move will be signing, repealing or undoing many of the executive orders,” Collins said in an interview with CNN.

“Repealing ObamaCare, I believe, will be done in the first 100 days. You can repeal sections of it using reconciliation. I don’t think the Democrats are going to allow us, if you will, to just repeal it — they would filibuster that,” he added.

Collins said that the GOP has several replacement ideas that they will present to the Trump administration and that the transition period will take some time to finalize.

“The replacing piece, we have replacement ideas. We are going to have to make sure we run that through the administration, that’s going to take longer, and let’s face it — it will be a transition, you don’t cut it off on a Tuesday and on Wednesday say here is a new plan.”

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