King: House proposal to replace ACA would ‘hammer Maine’

Sen. Angus King of Maine says the GOP House proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act would "shaft the people who need coverage."

Two House committees started Congress' first working sessions to formally write Republican legislation to dismantle former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul on Wednesday. The legislation would restructure the nation's health care system with a more conservative, market-oriented approach.

King said the existing health law should be repaired, not repealed.

King, an independent, said it would amount to a tax break for people earning more than $250,000 a year while taking away insurance from low wage earners. He said the pattern is to "shift the cost and shaft the people who need coverage." —WASHINGTON (AP)