U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, a former health-care executive, has made it clear that he is no fan of the Affordable Care Act.
But Thompson does not think that shutting down the government, or denying funding for the law to halt its implementation, is the way to go.
Thompson, R-5th Dist., stressed that he still favors a repeal of the law. But in an interview with the Erie Times-News last week, Thompson said lawmakers need to find “real solutions” that lead to an overhaul of the law — also known as Obamacare — particularly “the mandatory spending side.”
Thompson, who lives in Centre County, was not among the 80 GOP lawmakers who signed an Aug. 21 letter urging House Speaker John Boehner, of Ohio, to defund Obamacare by slashing its funding from the federal budget — even if that move triggers a government shutdown.
“As a former health-care professional for three decades, I think the Affordable Care Act is one of the most devastating things we could do to our health-care system,” said Thompson, who has called the law unaffordable.
“But what people need to understand (is) there are things in there that Republicans and Democrats alike, and citizens, have always supported,” Thompson continued. “A national registry for certified nursing assistants. Education training for nurses and physicians. Different funding streams for underserved rural and urban hospitals.”
Defunding Obamacare, as it is currently structured, “would crush parts of our health care that we’ve always liked,” Thompson said. “Saying ‘defund Obamacare’ is a sound bite, … we have to focus on addressing what I think are some pretty serious negative consequences of the law.”
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