Senator Apologizes After Joke About Losing His Mammograms In GOP Bill [View all]

[Recursion]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/roberts-mammograms

As the House struggles to agree on a path forward on its bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, GOP leaders may cave to a demand from hardline conservatives to scrap Obamacare's Essential Health Benefits rule—the mandate that insurance plans cover things like hospitalizations, prescription drugs, mental health and maternity care.

TPM asked Republicans on the other side of the Capitol about whether such a move would fly in the Senate.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), when asked if he supports scrapping EHBs, deadpanned: "I sure don't want my mammogram benefits taken away."

Roberts' comments provoked immediate reaction from some Democratic congresswomen, and Roberts soon tweeted an apology. "I deeply regret my comments on a very important topic," Roberts tweeted. "Mammograms are essential to women's health & I never intended to indicate otherwise."

Hey, hundreds of men die from breast cancer every year too, but glad we can all joke about this.