Alabama Senator: ‘A lot’ of changes could come to healthcare bill

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange

Last week, House Republicans successfully passed a bill repealing and replacing Obamacare. Now, as the measure heads to the Senate for consideration, one of Alabama’s Senators says that the Upper Chamber will take its time reviewing the healthcare proposal in hopes of “getting it right.”

During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Senator Luther Strange said he was glad to see a repeal of the Affordable Care Act pass through the House, though “a lot” could change.

“I run into people all the time in my state, and even members of my own family, who have ‘coverage,’ but they don’t have access to care,” Strange said. “They pay a tremendously high premium, they have a deductible they can almost never use, they can’t get affordable drug coverage, and so ultimately what you have is some sort of catastrophic policy. What we want is a compassionate policy that allows people to be covered and get care that they want — not that the government mandates that they have — and that they can afford.”

According to Strange, Senate Republicans plan to “take their time” examining key components of the healthcare law, and will carefully consider the importance of ensuring that provisions covering pre-existing conditions are locked into the plan.

“These problems need to be solved on the ground in our states, not from some one-size-fits-all dictate from Washington D.C., which is really what got us to Obamacare in the first place,” Strange said.

“We have to remember that these are real people and real lives that we’re talking about,” he later added.

You can watch Strange’s interview below.