Inside Scott Walker's Plan to 'Repeal and Replace' Obamacare

[jpak]

http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/inside-scott-walkers-plan-repeal-replace-obamacare-n411906

For the first major policy speech of his presidential campaign, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker chose the issue that has been the bedrock of Republican opposition to President Obama for the past six years - Obamacare.

On Tuesday, Walker laid out his health care proposal with a pledge: "On my first day as President, I will send legislation to the Congress that will repeal Obamacare entirely and replace it in a way that puts patients and their families back in charge of their health care - not the federal government." Walker's proposal is notable for including ideas to replace Obamacare, not simply repeal it. Here' a closer look:

What is Walker proposing?

Walker wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as all his fellow Republicans say they do. What is more interesting is what he proposes to replace it with. Walker would provide a fixed amount for all Americans without insurance to buy a health insurance plan. The amount would go up by age. So you would get $1200 per year if you were between ages 18 and 34, but the tax credit is $3000 for those between ages 50 and 64. People who are older tend to have more illnesses and spend more on medical care, so such a sliding scale makes sense. You could then use that money to buy a plan from any provider across the country. The health care exchanges by state under the ACA are gone in Walker's vision.

He would also essentially let states run their own Medicaid programs.

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