Hultgren Calls Obamacare 'Failing Law,' Opponent Says Repeal Vote Is 'Unthinkable'

After Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act on Thursday, sending the Obamacare repeal on to the Senate, a local Republican stood behind his vote. Congressman Randy Hultgren quickly issued a statement saying the status quo was "unacceptable" and calling Obamacare a "failed law." But a Democratic challenger had strong words about Hultgren's vote.

"Today, Randy Hultgren did the unthinkable (sic) he gleefully voted to take away health care from 37,500 of his own constituents," Victor Swanson, a Batavia Democrat who recently announced his intention to run against Hultgren in 2018, said in a statement. "When the people of our district needed Randy Hultgren the most he wasn’t there. He sided with Donald Trump and Paul Ryan instead of the 37,500 constituents who will lose their health care coverage under the American Health Care Act AKA Trump Care."

Hultgren previously expressed "great concerns" about the American Health Care Act's formula for federal spending on Medicaid, but said "doing nothing isn't an option, which I why I supported this amended bill as an important next step in the longer process of broader health reform that will benefit Illinois."

Hultgren vowed he will make sure people with pre-existing conditions remain covered, saying Obamacare's "downward spiral is accelerating."

While noting that the bill is not the "final product," Hultgren's statement continued:

Under the American Health Care Act (AHCA), insurance companies can never deny someone coverage based on pre-existing conditions. This legislation requires a state to meet very specific requirements if it chooses a waiver to deliver health care that is better tailored to the needs of its population. What people are forgetting is that this much criticized provision is similar to the State Innovation Waivers already granted by standing ACA law. The AHCA provides several layers of protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions in states that get an approved waiver, with rules in place to make sure those individuals have help affording their premiums and that they maintain continuous coverage to keep their costs down. No one can be charged more if they maintain continuous coverage. ... The AHCA also increases plan and network choice by encouraging states to use federal funds to promote participation in private insurance outside failing ACA exchanges, encourages Americans to take advantage of preventive care services and reduces costs in the individual market that have increased dramatically since the ACA took effect.

Swanson said, to him, Thursday's vote was "bigger than politics.

"This vote was very personal to me; I think about my sister who as a child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes," he said. "I remember her as a young girl taking insulin shots. As an adult she is dependent on the protections that the federal government provides in the Affordable Care Act for preexisting conditions."

Hultgren's district includes Oswego, Yorkville, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and Plainfield.

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