Fox News Host Confronts Republican on Concerns Obamacare Under Threat

Fox News host Shannon Bream confronted Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, on Fox News Sunday about concerns that Obamacare is under threat, however the congresswoman assured Americans that the GOP wants to “improve health care,” without citing a plan for how to do it.

Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2010. Over 21 million Americans are currently insured through the ACA, NPR reported on Saturday. The ACA gives low-income Americans an affordable health care option by offering subsidies based on their earnings to help cut costs.

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and staunch ally to former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, told a crowd at a campaign event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for GOP House candidate Ryan Mackenzie, “Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda.”

One attendee asked Johnson, “No Obamacare?” To which, Johnson said, “No Obamacare” while rolling his eyes, according to video obtained by NBC News, which published an article about his comments on Tuesday.

The House speaker added: “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”

In a statement to NBC News on Wednesday after its article was published, Johnson said, “The audio and transcript make clear that I offered no such promise to end Obamacare, and in fact acknowledged that the policy is ‘deeply ingrained’ in our health care system.”

In response to Johnson’s comments, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, told USA Today, “House Republicans have been obsessed with repealing the Affordable Care Act since 2010, the moment it was first enacted. It’s clear as day to the American people, and that has now been affirmed by multiple members of House Republican leadership.”

He added: “They are determined to end the Affordable Care Act as we know it.”

When Bream asked Stefanik on Sunday about these concerns, citing Jeffries’ comments, the House Republican conference chair said, “We want to improve health care. We want to lower costs. We want to make sure that people have access, whether you’re in rural, suburban, or urban communities. That’s what [former] President Trump has focused on.”

The congresswoman added: “If you talk to anyone, Shannon, they continue to see their price of health care go up and up under [Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee] Kamala Harris’ failed administration with [President] Joe Biden.”

Newsweek reached out to Stefanik’s office via telephone and Trump’s campaign via email outside of business hours on Sunday afternoon.

According to KFF, an organization that publishes polling on health care issues, insurance premiums are increasing by roughly 4 percent during the 2025 open enrollment period, which started Friday. However, KFF said on its website, “The vast majority of enrollees won’t have to pay that increase due to enhanced subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act,” which Biden signed in 2022.

According to the KFF, as of April, 62 percent of adults have a favorable view of the ACA compared to 37 percent who do not.

On Sunday, Stefanik didn’t elaborate on what Trump’s plan is to improve health care. The former president tried and failed to repeal and replace the ACA in 2017 and criticized Obamacare during this election cycle.

‘Concepts Of a Plan’

During Trump’s debate against Harris in September, he called Obamacare “lousy,” adding, “It’s not very good today and, what I said, that if we come up with something, we are working on things, we’re going to do it and we’re going to replace it.”

When asked to clarify if he has a health care plan, Trump said, “I have concepts of a plan.”

He added: “I’m not president right now. But if we come up with something I would only change it if we come up with something better and less expensive.”

On Thursday, Harris told reporters, “I’ve been saying throughout this campaign, be very clear that among the stakes in this election are whether we continue with the Affordable Care Act or not,” adding that Trump has repeatedly tried to get rid of Obamacare. “And now we have further validation of that agenda from his supporter, the speaker of the House.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday in response to Harris’ comments, “Lyin’ Kamala is giving a News Conference now, saying that I want to end the Affordable Care Act. I never mentioned doing that, never even thought about such a thing.”

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Repealing Obamacare is not President Trump’s policy position,” when asked about Johnson’s Bethlehem comments.

She added that Trump “will make our health care system better by increasing transparency, promoting choice and competition, and expanding access to new affordable health care and insurance options.”