WASHINGTON D.C. – The Republican Conference stood in front of the American people and revived the effort to fully repeal and replace Obamacare by introducing an amendment to H.R. 1628, led by Congressman Schweikert and Congressman Palmer. The Schweikert-Palmer Amendment came about after several weeks of diligent collaboration between the two conservative House Freedom Caucus Members. This amendment was given a vote in the House Rules Committee this afternoon.
Congressman Schweikert’s amendment would create an invisible federal high risk sharing program. Under the amendment, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Price would establish an invisible federal high risk sharing program that would offset some of the costs of care for those Americans who have the most expensive, often chronic, medical conditions. Creating a level of certainty in the health insurance marketplace would immediately, dramatically lower premiums for all Americans. Similar risk sharing models which have reduced prices have consequentially increased market participation, and this amendment would similarly decrease the number of uninsured, without Obamacare’s federal mandate from the IRS to buy health insurance.
The concept of a high risk sharing model is not new, and Congressman Schweikert has been discussing this with his colleagues since joining the House Ways and Means committee at the start of the 115th Congress. Congressman Schweikert has had an interest in how best to efficiently mitigate high risk costs for years, starting with his time as Maricopa County Treasurer.
The state of Arizona has seen some of the steepest premium increases in the nation, and each county now only has one health insurance provider. Congressman Schweikert firmly believes that something must be done quickly to stabilize the individual health insurance market, as health insurance becomes increasingly out of reach for Arizona families. The Schweikert-Palmer Amendment is the first step in advancing sound fiscal policy that increases both coverage and accessibility for Arizonans seeking health coverage. It is the first step in ending the skyrocketing costs of Obamacare, and immediately stabilizing a market that is near collapse.
