After initially and aggressively calling for a swift repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Orrin Hatch said Thursday that he is open to repairing — and not completely throwing out — President Barack Obama's signature health-care law.
"I'm saying I'm open to anything," he said in an interview with The Washington Post. "Anything that will improve the system, I'm for."
As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch, R-Utah, would play a key role in the Republican-led effort to repeal Obamacare. His comment, noting he "could stand either" repeal or replacement, comes shortly after a GOP retreat where lawmakers questioned the consequences of abandoning the Affordable Care Act and who would be blamed if the new plan failed.
Hatch had said Wednesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that he wanted a repeal "immediately." The senator did, though, caution that it would be "more difficult than it sounds" in a speech on the Senate floor in early January, and that efforts should be accompanied by a replacement policy.
"We don't want to be reckless," he said, "and we don't want to inflict more harm on the American people or our health-care system."
Fixing the existing act is not a view shared by many other Republicans, particularly House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have pushed ahead with the idea of a wholesale repeal.
ctanner@sltrib.com
Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner
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