Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell
Republican leaders in Congress have worked tirelessly in an effort to pass something, anything that would repeal Obamacare, the healthcare bill they have spent seven years denouncing.
Their rush to do away with Obamacare whether it be by repealing and replacing, repealing and replacing later or by skinny repeal— as of early this morning, has officially failed. All thanks to three Republicans senators, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and more surprisingly John McCain, who defied party lines and stood with 48 Democrats to vote to reject the bill that would have killed some parts of Obamacare.
So, the question becomes, why on earth did Republican leaders try to push such an unpopular bill through the House?
Well, we all remember in 2010 when Obamacare became law, Republicans swore to their constituents that they would do everything in their power to repeal the satanic healthcare bill, and replace it with something more suitable.
And now, after all those years of complaining, they have finally been able to secure not only a Republican president, but a majority in both Houses. And because repealing Obamacare was the focus of their campaign, they realized they had to deliver on the promise they made to their eager and impatient constituents.
The problem is, Republicans spent far too much time complaining about Obamacare and trying to convince voters that a law providing millions of people with healthcare was so bad, that they forgot to actually devise a better alternative to Obamacare. In a haste to keep their constituents happy, they threw whatever they could together, which resulted in an inevitable legislative mess.
Let’s not forget, Obamacare was enacted through lengthy hearings, robust debate and constructive conversation from the opposition. Republicans, on the other hand, were not interested in bi-partisanship and governing the way they were elected to. Instead, their insidious plot involved working secretly in the background and using Trump’s self-destruction as a method to distract the public and their colleagues, by concocting a bill they had only released a few hours before voting.
Now, it is important to note that Obamacare is far from perfect, but it has expanded Medicaid coverage to millions of poor people, many of whom never had coverage in their lives, it has also helped to extend coverage to millions more, specifically those with preexisting conditions, who can now get insurance packages, and for those with lower income who can now get coverage with the help of subsidies. The Republicans rush to repeal shows that they were not genuinely concerned with providing a new and improved healthcare system that would alleviate the problems they believe to be found in Obamacare. Instead, they have been so set on proving a point and consolidating their power that they were willing to leave 15 million more people uninsured by next year, and drive premiums up to 20%.
Their spite for Obama and the Democratic party means that even though any effort to revive Trumpcare should be dead, it won’t be.
For now, though, we can take a moment to breathe.
Thanks to the resistance healthcare has been saved.
