WAVY: House Dems push for bill to save the Affordable Care Act, Republicans say to move on

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — House of Representatives Democrats are working to keep the Affordable Care Act alive.

“The bill will make coverage affordable for millions of working families,” Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott said.

Wednesday, Scott says he’s working with other House Democrats to ensure the survival of the ACA through the Affordable Care Enhancement Act.

“We will strengthen the ACA, and ensure that millions of Americans have access to affordable healthcare when they need it most,” Scott said.

Democrats say the bill would reduce out-of-pocket costs and premiums and protect patients from unfair medical bills, something they believe is especially important during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We continue to confront the most serious public health emergency in recent history. Our first priority must be to protect the health and safety of the American people,” Scott said.

This bill comes the day before the Trump administration must file court papers in their effort to scrap the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say they want to start over on healthcare reform.

“Right now, we would prefer to eliminate the Affordable Care Act entirely and get back to actually having affordable rates,” South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said.

Rounds says the increased costs from the Affordable Care Act has done more harm than good, and the House bill doesn’t help.

“The vast majority of the bills coming out of the House, most of them require additional federal funding for abortion, which is a non-starter in the United States Senate,” Rounds said.

Right now, Democrats expect to pass the bill in the House next week.