Supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz are urging him to fill in the blanks on his oft-repeated plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.
Cruz, who has been a long-standing opponent of the healthcare law, is hoping to win big in the coming weeks in states like Wisconsin, which holds a large number of insurance industry professionals. To do that, members of the GOP establishment suggest he outline a realistic approach to reforming how the nation handles health insurance.
“I think it would benefit [Cruz] as a candidate, period, but especially in Wisconsin,” Brian Fraley, a Republican strategist, told Politico. “The insurance industry is big in Wisconsin. The healthcare industry is big in Wisconsin. This is a race where every brick helps in the foundation.”
Cruz has historically been cagey about his plans for healthcare policy. Though he spent about 21 hours on the Senate floor speaking against the ACA in 2013, he has not yet offered a concrete policy to replace it – nor has he revealed who is advising him on healthcare.
Instead, Cruz has offered common Republican talking points in debates: lowering insurance costs, getting rid of the federal mandate and allowing interstate insurance sales.
“I think that’s a much more attractive vision for healthcare than the Washington-driven, top-down Obamacare that is causing so many millions of people to hurt,” he said during a televised debate in January.
Cruz is not alone in his struggles among those favoring a replacement to the ACA. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has also been criticized for his apparently undetailed approach to healthcare, which has included interstate selling and a new model he says will be “something really wonderful.”
But coming out with a clear plan would be a good way to draw a distinction between Cruz and Trump, Republicans have said.
“One of the defining decisions the rest of the way in the Republican race is whether Cruz decides to put out a full-fledged alternative and really vaults Obamacare to the center of the race,” Jeffrey Anderson, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, told Politico. “It’s always seemed like it could be his best issue, but by not putting out an alternative he’s been unable to capitalize on it.”
Projections for the Wisconsin primary suggest the race is still wide open, with 42 delegates in play. It is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5.
