Story highlights
- "You know who one of those millions of Americans who's lost their healthcare because of Obamacare? That would be me," Cruz said
- Cruz also dismissed former presidential candidate Bob Dole's description of him as "extremist"
Washington (CNN)Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday he has no health care and lost his coverage "because of Obamacare."
"You know who one of those millions of Americans who's lost their health care because of Obamacare? That would be me. I don't have health care right now," he told an audience in Manchester, New Hampshire.
"I had purchased an individual policy and Blue Cross Blue Shield canceled all their individual policies in the state of Texas effective December 31st," Cruz explained. "So our health care got canceled. We got a notice in the mail. Blue Cross Blue Shield was leaving the market."
On the trail, Cruz regularly promises to repeal Obamacare.
Cruz said in 2013 that he received his health insurance through his wife's plan at Goldman Sachs, boasting about not needing to receive government health care benefits.
Heidi Cruz, the senator's wife, is on unpaid leave from from her executive post at the financial company for the duration of her husband's presidential campaign, and is not receiving company benefits -- including health insurance -- during her leave, a Goldman spokesperson told CNN last March.
Speaking to reporters later on Thursday, Cruz also dismissed former presidential candidate Bob Dole's description of him as "extremist."
"I don't know how he's going to deal with Congress," Dole told The New York Times on Wednesday. "Nobody likes him."
Cruz said Dole attacked him because the former senator and "the establishment" are "scared" of him.
"What Bob Dole is effectively saying, and the establishment is saying, is the one guy that scares the heck out of us is Cruz because Cruz actually will stand with the American people against the career politicians in both parties," he said.