Obamacare: President Chooses to ‘Ignore the Problems,’ U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis Says

PALM HARBOR, FL — President Barack Obama took the stage in Miami Gardens Thursday to campaign on behalf of Hillary Clinton. He also used the opportunity to defend his signature Affordable Healthcare Act.

The act, designed to provide affordable healthcare coverage to millions of Americas, has “worked,” Obama told a crowd gathered at Florida Memorial University. He also reminded people of the Nov. 1 enrollment opening for 2017 coverage.

Obama admitted his plan isn’t perfect, but fired back at Republican critics, saying their objections are political. While he implored both parties to open a dialogue about “what’s working, what needs fixing and how we fix it,” U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis shot back with a statement of his own.

“The President’s description of Obamacare today stands in stark contrast to the Obamacare I hear about from my constituents,” the Palm Harbor Republican’s statement said. “Premiums have gone up over 19 percent in Florida, all while insurers are fleeing the market, leaving less and less choices for consumers in our state and across the country. As President Bill Clinton recently commented, the health care law is truly 'the craziest thing in the world.'”

Bilirakis insists the administration’s approach is to “ignore the problems with Obamacare and declare victory – but that is not reality.”

See also: Aetna Exiting Florida Obamacare Exchanges

Bilirakis says the system needs to become “consumer-drive and patient-focused” to bring costs down while ensuring a high level of care. He’s backing a plan called “A Better Way” that House Republicans have put forward. The plan, Bilirakis says, will improve the quality of care while restoring freedom and flexibility to the system.

To read more about the plan and check out the breakdown of Obamacare premium increases by state complied by the Senate Joint Economic Committee, visit Bilirakis’ website.

For information about open enrollment, visit Healthcare.gov.

Many Floridians will find their 2017 plan choices limited. Aetna announced this summer it was pulling out of most Affordable Healthcare Act exchanges in the coming year. It joined other such major insurers as Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield in scaling back participation in the government’s program.

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