SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Some 250 people attended a town hall meeting with Representative Kristi Noem Saturday in Watertown and she was asked by a Sioux Falls man for assurances that his health insurance won't continue increasing under the Republican's healthcare plan.
Noem countered by saying Obamacare is failing on it's own with double digit increases and insurors leaving the market.
Noem says the plan Republicans are working on today "is that you are not going to lose your policy, it's going to stay in place, for the next several years, while we get all the taxes out of the law, while we get all the regulations out of the law, and to the market more time to develop more options for you and you can choose something that will be better for your and then you're going to get a tax credit."
Noem also touched on the Congressional Budget Office report that shows the Republican's plan reducing premiums by 10% and the deficit by more than $330 billion, but leaving millions, including 25,000 South Dakotans in fear of losing their insurance.
She says Obamacare put taxes on insurance plans, medical devices, drugs, over the counter medicines, tanning, "they put in dozen of taxes to pay for Obamacare and many of those taxes were on the delivery of healthcare. Which are then, of course, are not going to be paid by insurance companies, or by big companies, they're going to pass that on to patients. And that's why you see policy premiums going up.
Noem also addressed the future of Social Security and she told the crowd that changes are going to be required before both go broke. She says both programs are struggling because fewer people are working and more money is being drawn out.
And when asked about Russian influence in the November election, Noem says there's no evidence of interference in President Trump's campaign.