WASHINGTON – While the Republican U.S. House has repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, many know as Obamacare, several including North Carolina GOP Sen. Richard Burr now say they have a better idea.

Burr, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) unveiled the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act—a legislative plan that repeals Obamacare and replaces it with what they call “common-sense, patient-focused reforms that reduce health care costs and increase access to affordable, high-quality care.”  In a news release from Burr, the bill is offered as a “contrast with Obamacare and its government-centered mandates and regulations, this bicameral proposal empowers the American people to make the best health care choices for themselves and their families.”

“The American people have found out what is in Obamacare— broken promises in the form of increased health care costs, costly mandates, and government bureaucracy.  They don’t like it and don’t want to keep it,” said Burr.  “Our nation’s health care system was broken before Obamacare, and the President’s health care debacle has only made things worse.  The Patient CARE Act repeals Obamacare and addresses the fundamental cost drivers that Obamacare failed to address.  We can lower costs and expand access to quality coverage and care by empowering individuals and their families to make their own health care decisions, rather than having the federal government make those decisions for them.”

“From higher premiums and surprise tax bills, to patients losing plans they once enjoyed and hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on failed state exchanges, Obamacare has been a series of sorry surprises and broken promises.  Yet, the ultimate failure of the law lies in its DNA – its inability to drive down costs making the law unsustainable and unaffordable,” Hatch said.  “Today, we offer a bold bicameral plan that fully repeals and replaces the healthcare law with reforms that empower patients – not Washington.  We agree we can’t return to the status quo of the pre-Obamacare world, so we equip patients with tools that will drive down costs while also ensuring those with pre-existing conditions and the young are protected.  Our plan allows patients to make healthcare decisions for themselves - without a maze of mandates, fines, and taxes.  This plan is achievable, and above all, fiscally sustainable.  And, unlike the passage of Obamacare, which was done in secret, we welcome input from the American people as we move this plan forward.”

“Five years ago, America needed health reform. What we got was a law that has divided the country and hurt too many of the families that reform could have helped. Now, when I ask folks in Michigan what they’re looking for in health reform, the answer is simple: they want us to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and that is what we have been doing for months, years even. They want real ideas on the table so we can have an honest debate,” said Upton. “The health care law has already changed how so many Americans access care, and the possibility of even more disruption lies ahead. Just as I offered the Keep Your Health Plan Act to give Americans more affordable choices, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the Senate to offer the Patient CARE Act to create even more options and flexibility. Republicans have always had positive ideas for how to strengthen our health care system by protecting patients with preexisting conditions, and empowering Americans with more affordable health care choices and transparency. With the Patient CARE Act, we’re presenting these ideas to the American people and offering a path to the health coverage and care they want and need."