Black, Walden, Tiberi back budget resolution setting stage to end Obamacare

A House-approved budget resolution forging a path for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) repeal on Friday was a step toward patient-centered health care reforms, U.S. Reps. Diane Black (R-TN), Greg Walden (R-OR) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH) said.

Black, the interim chairman of the House Budget Committee, said the budget resolution triggering a reconciliation process marked a critical step toward repealing the health care law.

“We are fulfilling our promise to provide relief from Obamacare’s failures,” Black said. “Now begins a process through which we will ultimately be able to achieve patient-centered solutions to expand access to care, promote quality and innovation, lower costs and give the American people greater power over their own health care decisions.”

Walden, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Friday’s vote means committees can begin work on repealing ACA and “rebuilding our health care system.”

“Put simply, Obamacare is a mess,” Walden said. “We’re ready to begin advancing solutions that will help families, lower costs and restore fairness in the relationship between patients and their doctors. Critical work lies ahead, and we are up to the task of delivering badly needed relief for patients.”

Tiberi, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said ACA has caused pain for Americans across the country.

“Patients are losing access to their doctors and experiencing the sticker shock of rising premiums and deductibles,” Tiberi said.

In Ohio, almost a third of the counties will have only one insurer participating in the exchanges this year.

“(Friday’s) vote puts the wheels in motion for Republicans to provide immediate relief from the disastrous consequences of Obamacare and implement reforms to lower costs, increase choices and expand access to high-quality care,” Tiberi said.