Conservatives tout growing support for ObamaCare substitute

by Jonathan Easley - 12/05/13 1:13 PM ET

House Republicans are touting growing support in their conference for a bill that would repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a conservative alternative.

The American Health Care Reform Act, sponsored by Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), now boasts 117 co-sponsors — the majority of the GOP conference — after picking up about a dozen House Republicans in the last two months.

{mosads}“It is encouraging to see so much momentum building behind the American Health Care Reform Act, which is focused on putting patients back in charge of their health care decisions and lowering costs so hard-working taxpayers have more options for their families,” Scalise said in a statement.

“I look forward to this bill continuing to gain momentum as it moves through the legislative process and ultimately comes up for a vote on the House Floor.”

Many of the new supporters are running for Senate or facing tough reelection fights.

Roe said now that the bill has a majority of House Republicans on board, “it’s time that President Obama stop claiming Republicans don’t have solutions.”

The legislation repeals the Affordable Care Act, and includes a tax overhaul that allows individuals to deduct healthcare costs, allows consumers to purchase health insurance across state lines and “protects the unborn by ensuring no federal funding of abortions,” among other things.

A number of Republicans facing tough campaigns have switched their tactics on ObamaCare in recent months, proposing fixes and alternatives even as GOP leadership continues to focus on repeal. The shift is informed in part by polling that shows a majority of Americans would prefer Congress change the law rather than scrap it entirely.