Here's why Rep. Perry helped block healthcare bill

About an hour after House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the healthcare reform bill off the House floor Friday -- killing any hopes of repealing and replacing Obamacare this year, York County's congressman issued the following news release to explain why he had opposed the bill:

Washington, D.C.— Congressman Scott Perry offered the following statement after Republican House Leadership postponed the vote for the American Health Care Act, the Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act:

“I ran on repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - or “Obamacare” – not two-thirds of it, but the entire thing. The replacement bill - the American Health Care Act, as currently written - repeals the individual mandate and the employer mandate, but fails to end government control of personal health care. The fundamental problem with the ACA was the government takeover of personal health care decisions. Until we address that key point, we’ll never get to the root of the issue of rising costs and providing people with greater choice and flexibility in their health care coverage. During my four years in Congress, more people than I can count have told me – repeatedly – that they can’t afford health care. We simply must get costs down, and that starts with removing one-size-fits-all federal mandates. Instead of trying to get this done quickly, let’s get it done right. I’ll continue to work with the President and my House colleagues to get a reasonable proposal through the House to repeal the ACA once and for all. ”