Walker teases ObamaCare replacement

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to unveil his replacement plan for ObamaCare next week, becoming one of the first Republican presidential candidates to dive headfirst into the healthcare debate.

In an op-ed published Friday previewing his plan, Walker pledges to eliminate healthcare mandates, expand plan options and reduce “government interference” — but includes no specifics about how to do so.

“I will soon be releasing a plan to reverse every single destructive Obamacare policy and make health care more affordable and accessible for Americans across the country. Stay tuned,” he declared in the National Review op-ed.

{mosads}“My plan will be market- not government-driven, maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste,” he said. Walker will release the full plan next Tuesday following a healthcare speech in Minnesota.

Walker, who officially jumped into the race one month ago, has pledged to roll out his policy points on issues like healthcare and national security before the second GOP debate, scheduled for Sept. 16.

Out of the nearly two-dozen Republican presidential hopefuls, only Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — a former federal health official — has put forward a comprehensive healthcare plan.

Despite more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal ObamaCare, Republicans have been unable to coalesce around a single replacement plan for the healthcare reform law, which is now five years old.

On the campaign trail, healthcare has received little attention after a key Supreme Court ruling upheld ObamaCare subsidies this June.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush laid out some of his replacement plan in March, pledging to repeal mandates, including coverage requirements, and move toward a “consumer-directed,” “customized” system. In his model, he said any subsidies would be state-administered and any exchanges wouldn’t be “coercive.”

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, the current GOP front-runner, told reporters earlier this month that he would repeal the law and replace it with “something terrific.”

As a governor, Walker has fiercely opposed ObamaCare. He has refused to comply with the law’s Medicaid expansion, and threatened not to save ObamaCare subsidies in his state if the court had ruled against the healthcare law this summer.