Obamacare must be completely repealed and replaced with better alternatives, not merely patched up, Sen. John Barrasso said in Saturday's GOP weekly address.

“No amount of tinkering or taxpayer bailouts is going to make Obamacare work," the Wyoming Republican said. "It needs to be replaced and repealed. Repeal is only the first step – it clears the path for a replacement that costs less and works better than what we have now."

Americans demanded change in Washington while casting their ballots, Barrasso said, as they were "tired of living under a costly and complicated health care law that broke one promise after another."

President-elect Donald Trump's win gave Americans the opportunity to regain control of their health care, and "look forward to getting the care that they need, from a doctor they choose at lower cost," said Barrasso.

Repealing and replacing Obamacare means eliminating a health insurance mandate to ensure "more freedom and flexibility" for businesses and individual, said Barrasso, but he also promised that people with pre-existing conditions will remain protected.

"My wife, Bobbi, is a breast cancer survivor, so I understand as a doctor and as a husband how critical it is that people with pre-existing conditions not lose their insurance," he said.

Replacing Obamacare won't be easy and it will take time, said Barrasso, but "step by step, we’re going to put patients back in charge, bring down the cost for families, and make sure that having health insurance actually means something this time."

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