Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) predicted last week that Republicans will not be able to repeal and replace Obamacare, arguing that the law has been in place too long for complete repeal to pass, according to video obtained by the Washington Post.
“Here we are, seven months into this year, and yet they’ve not passed this bill. Now, they’re never — they’re not going to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Boehner said at the trade show ThoughtSpot in Las Vegas. “It’s been around too long. And the American people have gotten accustomed to it. Governors have gotten accustomed to this Medicaid expansion, and so trying to pull it back is really not going to work.”
The former speaker said that Republicans should focus on making tweaks to Obamacare instead.
“When it’s all said and done, you’re not going to have an employer mandate anymore, you’re not going to have the individual mandate,” Boehner said, describing the changes to Obamacare he sees passing the Republican Congress. “The Medicaid expansion will be there. The governors will have more control over their Medicaid populations and how to get them care, and a lot of Obamacare taxes will probably go.”
He said that Republicans’ struggle to repeal Obamacare casts serious doubt in their ability to pursue tax reform.
Boehner also discussed Donald Trump’s presidency, saying that Trump “keeps getting in his own way” and advising that the President stop fighting with the press.
