I recently read Congressman Morgan Griffith’s letter to the editor in the Martinsville Bulletin – his substitute for a town hall meeting ― attempting to defend the Republican health care bill. It passed the House by one vote with several Republicans voting against it.
His defense of this abomination was so full of holes that if it were a court case it would be thrown out for lack of evidence. Did Obamacare need fixing? You bet. But what Morgan and his colleagues did was throw the baby out with the bath water. Sure, premiums were going up, but they were rising at a more rapid pace prior to the Affordable Care Act implementation.
As for insurers pulling out of the exchanges, they do so because nothing creates more fear in the marketplace than uncertainty. Republicans and Trump created these jitters when they announced they would kill the ACA once and for all. What company is going to stick around for that scenario to play out?
Morgan suggests, with the hyperbole Trump would be proud of, that one unnamed claim that Democrats made was so “outrageous” the Washington Post called them out. I guess the Post is only fake news when you don’t agree with them, right Morgan?
So, Morgan, here are some of the groups who have actually examined the wretched bill and oppose it: AARP, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association & Federation of American Hospitals, American Cancer Society, National Physicians Alliance, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. This is a partial list, but you get the idea. These aren’t a bunch of screaming protestors like the ones Morgan thinks would show up if he had the nerve to hold a town hall meeting.
The most galling narrative that these sheep have trotted out is “everyone will have access to health care regardless of preexisting conditions.” What they don’t tell you is that if you’re older with a preexisting condition your premiums would increase five times over. Sure, you would have access to health care just as you have access to a Ferrari. You just wouldn’t be able to afford it.
It’s clear Morgan subscribes to the ideology of Mo Brooks, his fellow extremist in the Freedom Caucus. Brooks said on CNN that “sick people should pay more” and that people who live “good lives” should pay less than others. Tell that to the church-going lady that has just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Folks, this is your Republican party. It’s now the party of cruelty, indifference, and, with the support of the NRA, the party of death. It’s too bad Morgan is afraid to meet with his constituents to hear their concerns. I don’t care for Tom Garrett’s politics but I give him an “atta boy” for at least facing his constituents at a town hall meeting. He heard their voices. Morgan Griffith, the coward, hides in his bubble. He’ll have to emerge one day, and we must hold him accountable.