Rep. Andy Biggs told Newsmax's "Wake Up America" on Friday that the Affordable Care Act has become "unaffordable" and must be overhauled. He argued that mounting costs, rising premiums, and structural inefficiencies demand an aggressive reset of the nation's healthcare framework.
The Arizona Republican said the law's original promises have collapsed under the weight of soaring insurance costs, putting the cost of healthcare out of reach for many Americans.
"The Affordable Care Act isn't affordable anymore," he said, pointing to the "multi-tiered approach" that Senate Republicans are proposing to reform the law.
"What it's based on is the fact that insurance profits have gone way up," he said, noting that millions of Americans have seen premiums double since 2013.
One proposed reform would target subsidies distributed to higher-income households.
"Think of it this way: You're going to probably get rid of subsidies for the people who make more than 400% of poverty level," Biggs said, emphasizing that tightening eligibility would redirect resources more efficiently.
Biggs also said the vast majority of ACA enrollees would still receive some level of support.
He estimated that "22 million people out of the 24 million" would face only a minimal monthly payment, "maybe $5 a month or something like that, to have some skin in the game."
He then outlined a Trump-backed alternative intended to shift power toward individual consumers, describing it as a version of a health savings account.
"To actually turn this on its head is do what President [Donald] Trump is talking about," he said, "to create these ... MAHA account[s], where some of this money that goes to these subsidies is going to go into a health savings account."
Such an approach, he argued, would give patients more freedom when it comes to making decisions that affect their health.
"So, the individual is empowered to make choices themselves for their healthcare," he said, instead of paying relentlessly higher premiums.
Fraud and mismanagement also remain pressing concerns, Biggs said.
"Don't forget, you've got $30 billion a year going out in fraudulent payments under Obamacare," he said, referring to data showing millions of individuals automatically reenrolled without realizing it. "A lot of reform has to take place there."
Biggs also voiced support for eliminating the 60-vote Senate cloture rule, saying it must go to advance Trump's second-term legislative priorities.
"We need to get the president's agenda through," he said. "We need to get the America First agenda through. The fastest way you can do it, in my opinion, is to eliminate the cloture rule, which is basically what everybody is calling the filibuster."
"But the reality is, if you do that, we can get this agenda through and that is what the American people elected Trump to do," Biggs added. "That's what they elected us to do."
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