Jarrett: Repealing Obamacare Without Replacement 'Devastating'

Repealing Obamacare without having a replacement plan ready will have a "devastating impact on millions of Americans," Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to outgoing President Barack Obama, said Tuesday.

"I think what we're seeing right now on Capitol Hill is the Republicans' appreciation that it's not just okay to be against something; now you're taking something away from Americans," Jarrett told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. 

"As I've traveled around the country and read the letters that have come in to President Obama, I've heard the stories of so many Americans whose lives have literally been saved by the Affordable Care Act," Jarrett said. "Taking that away is going to have a devastating impact on millions of Americans. We have been waiting for six years to see what the replacement is."

The Obama administration knew that there would be "lots of moving pieces" when the healthcare reform project was being completed, and "all are interrelated."

"Everybody wants to make sure people with pre-existing conditions are covered, not discriminated against insurance companies, that people don't suffer from annual or lifetime caps, young people can stay on their parents' plan until they are 26," Jarrett said. "Senior citizens can get help with prescription drugs. Women can ensure they have access to preventive care without a co-pay. There are lots of important interrelated parts of it."

There has been concern about the mandate to buy insurance or pay a tax fee, but Jarrett said that was necessary to ensure provisions could be met.

Jarrett on Tuesday also touted several numbers that were achieved during Obama's eight years in office.

"I'll tell you the numbers that make me feel better, the fact that unemployment rate went from a high of 10 percent down to 4.7," Jarrett said. "[We added] 15 million jobs, and the typical family income grew by the highest margin in recorded history. Poverty fell by the lowest number since 1968; we cut the deficit by two-thirds. The fact that 20 million people have health care, many for the first time, those are the numbers I think we are most proud of."

Jarrett said she believe the American people can appreciate that Obama came into office during a tough time economically.

"We were losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month," Jarrett said. "Millions of people were losing their homes. The banks were on the verge of collapse. The automobile industry truly was in bankruptcy. Through the hard work and grit and determination of a lot of people, including the American people, we've really come back. The president by every possible metric believes United States was better off today than when he took office."

There remains a great deal of work that's unfinished, Jarrett said, because Obama had just eight years after inheriting a "tumultuous economy that was falling into a potential Great Depression."

"We wish we had gotten Congress to pass sensible legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands," Jarrett said. "We wish we had comprehensive immigration reform done. There's still a lot of hard work."

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