Americans are divided on what to do about health care, but they should be united in this conclusion: Senate Republicans’ manic approach to reforming a sector that represents one-sixth of the U.S. economy and determines life or death for millions of people is utterly craven and irresponsible.
No expert testimony. No public hearings. Not even a public draft of what’s being considered, let alone an independent analysis.
This is how Republicans sought to determine how Americans get their health care? Several failures, a diluted and little understood recast and 20-hour free-for-all in which most Americans weren’t ever sure what plan the Senate was debating? Even ahead of the “skinny” bill, several GOP senators said they would not lend it support.
Even worse, some considered the most likely action would for the Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act and agree to come up with a replacement sometime in the next two years. That’s crazy. Republicans have had seven years to come up with an alternative, and they aren’t even close to something they can agree on. But they sure want to move quickly on it.
As usual, President Trump’s remarks were wholly disconnected from reality: “I want to congratulate the American people, because we’re going to give you great health care.”
Really? Is this the version that takes away health insurance from 30 million people, or just 20 million?
Republicans’ attempts to “repeal and replace” Obamacare have nothing to do with improving health care in the United States. Every plan presented has been designed to take away coverage for millions of Americans and send premiums soaring.
The GOP’s intent is, and always has been, to take the money that Obamacare has spent improving the health care of millions of low-income Americans and instead give it to the wealthy in the form of massive tax cuts.
If it were otherwise, Republicans would be touting health benefits their so-called improved plans provide. What do you hear about that? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Obamacare slowed the rate of health care spending, emphasized preventive care, added millions of Americans to the ranks of the insured, allowed parents to add their children to their insurance plans until they turned 26 and — this may have been the most welcome — prevented insurers from denying insurance to people with pre-existing conditions.
President Obama’s legislation passed after a year of debate involving health care experts, medical professionals and Republicans. It included countless public hearings in Washington and town hall meetings around the country.
What Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have been presenting is a farce, badly acted at that. They should be ashamed.
