WASHINGTON - Sen. Marco Rubio today said he supports a provision of the latest GOP health care bill that would allow insurers to sell bare-bones policies that do not meet standards of the Affordable Care Act.
That’s the idea pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz, which has drawn support from conservatives and vehement opposition from Obamacare defenders. It's included in the just-released bill.
“People should have the right to buy the kind of insurance they want at a price they can afford. Not everyone wants or needs the same kind of insurance,” Rubio said in his daily Facebook Live address.
Rubio also said he pushed for inclusion in the draft a plan that would offer people catastrophic coverage only.
“Why can’t you just insure against a serious illness or a bad accident but allow primary care or something else to either be covered by a separate but limited policy or through a health savings account or if you have enough money, out of pocket.”
Rubio said he would vote next week to put the bill on the Senate floor but stopped short of saying he’d support it on final passage — if it gets to that point.
“Whether you like this bill or not … unless you’re on the bill you can’t change it,” Rubio said. “If there his anything about it you don’t like, the only way to change it is through an amendment with a vote on the Senate floor. You can’t even start that process unless you vote to proceed. And so I’m prepared to vote to proceed next week so we can get on the bill and begin to make those changes.”
Rubio said it would be “almost impossible for me to support any sort of health care reform that does not treat Florida fairly when it comes to Medicaid.”
For more, visit Tampa Bay Times.