'Replace with what?’ CNN host corners MAGA rep Mike Lawler in clash over GOP's new pledge

CNN's Brianna Keilar got into a heated exchange with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is one of the few Republicans in Congress who has said he is open to a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, but just as a temporary measure to allow time for Congress to create longer-term reform for health insurance.

When pressed, however, Lawler dodged what those longer-term reforms might look like, asserting the employer health insurance sector should be strengthened, and repeating a number of longtime GOP talking points like selling insurance "across state lines" — which has already been tried and failed.

"When you talk about small businesses and wanting employers to provide health coverage ... I hear your ideas, but, I mean, I've been covering — I covered the passage of Obamacare as a congressional correspondent, which sort of dates me," said Keilar. "But these ideas, you know, a lot of them, they aren't new. Congress has had a lot of time to tackle these. Republicans certainly have, this idea of repeal and replace. Replace with what? Speaker Johnson told CNN's Kaitlan Collins a couple of weeks ago that Republicans have proposals ready to address health care subsidies. Have you seen anything of substance that is actually ready to go, rather than just kind of throwing out ideas? Because that's really tough to make into action at this point in time."

"Well, again, I was walking through a series of bills that we can actually bring forth immediately, and I — and I would support," said Lawler. "I'm not advocating—"

"But those proposals — he's talking about proposals," said Keilar. "There's a difference between bills—"

"Hold on, excuse me, excuse me," Lawler cut in.

"No, excuse me, because I've let you talk a lot," shot back Keilar. "So I want to ask you this. He's talking about proposals that are ready to address subsidies. And this idea of proposals, is there anything like on paper that is, you know, ready to go, not just ideas of bills that could be introduced? I mean, is there, is there stuff that's ready to go out the gate?"

"Well, again, we have multiple committees that deal with health, health care and health insurance, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means—" Lawler began.

"And how far away are they from a markup?" asked Keilar.

Lawler again deflected, saying health care is an "extremely complex" issue and that he acknowledges the GOP's old mantra of "repeal and replace" would do "more harm than good" at this point. He suggested further "regulation" of insurers, including possibly a provision to ban insurers from also owning health care providers.

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