Sen. Mike Lee and Senate hopeful Ben Sasse have warned that Republicans must find their own solutions to the country’s healthcare crisis or be doomed to defeat at the November elections.
In an op-ed piece for the
Washington Examiner, the Utah Republican senator and the GOP Senate candidate for Nebraska attacked President Barack Obama for blatant "lies" associated with the Affordable Care Act.
They pointed out the president had vowed that Americans would be able to keep their health plans and their doctors under Obamacare, and that the average family’s health insurance costs would go down by $2,500 a year.
"To add to these lies, he has ignored the economic damage done to individuals who have lost their jobs, seen their hours cut, and had their wages lowered as a result of his signature 'achievement' in office," they wrote.
Lee and Sasse, president of Midland University in Nebraska, quoted reports that only 14 percent of Obamacare "enrollments" are previously uninsured people who have paid their first month’s premium. They also claimed that annual premiums have actually increased by $2,900 per family.
The Republicans also said that Americans are "chomping at the bit" to show their disapproval of Obamacare at the ballot box while also noting that "the good news is that the final chapter on the president’s disastrous health insurance takeover has not been written."
They wrote, "Conservatives are making a strong comeback with concrete proposals that, if enacted, would create real progress toward better healthcare outcomes for all Americans.
"Reformers in both the House and the Senate, as well as candidates across the country, are hard at work developing new, patient-centered reforms to control healthcare costs, ensure access to affordable coverage for all Americans, and provide extra help for the poor and the sick."
But they cautioned that the GOP must take this opportunity before the midterm elections to have "an honest conversation with the American people" about the problems with the president’s healthcare law and the solutions the GOP has "to fix them."
They wrote: "Obama and the Democrats have done everything they can to deserve defeat in November. But the Republican Party has not yet done what it must to deserve victory. We have not yet won back the trust of the American people, or explained exactly why they should give it to us. 2014 must be the year we change that.
"Republicans cannot win the healthcare debate until we effectively communicate our solutions to the problems that plague working families. If we are unwilling or unclear, the president will continue to mislead, government will continue to grow, and our healthcare system will continue to unravel.
"By articulating a conservative vision for the American people, Republicans can build trust and offer honest solutions. Our mission has only begun."
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