Republican Scott Walker is in the middle of a three day campaign visit to New Hampshire.
The Wisconsin governor held an event in Barrington billed as a town hall meeting about his newly-released health care plan - though before outlining that proposal, the Wisconsin governor criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton on health care, and then went after Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.
“They talked about repealing Obamacare, that we just needed the United States Senate to do that, and here we sit in August and we don’t see that yet," Walker told the audience at Turbocam International.
After the event, Walker told reporters he’s looking to distinguish himself from other GOP candidates – and his sharper tone on the stump reflects a changing dynamic in that field.
“I think people want to see a sense of urgency," he said. "I feel a sense of urgency. They want to see it, they want to feel it. And so we’ve started to articulate that.”
Walker told the audience his health care plan would give more options to those who can’t get health insurance through an employer. Those individuals, he said, would get refundable tax credits to buy insurance where they like, including across state lines. The tax credits would be based on age rather than income.
Walker added that his plan ensured that those with preexisting conditions or who become ill could not be dropped from coverage or see the cost of coverage jump. He said he would also restructure Medicaid, letting states decide how to use federal funding with “no strings attached.”
The campaign did not include cost figures or coverage estimates in releasing the health care proposal, though Walker said Wednesday he expected his plan would save about $1 trillion in federal spending compared to the Affordable Care Act.
The Wisconsin governor also took questions on the federal budget, sentencing guidelines, climate change and immigration. Asked whether he supported an end to so-called birthright citizenship, Walker said the U.S. should focus first on securing its borders before considering other aspects of immigration law.
Walker is campaigning in New Hampshire through Friday.
