A simple question for Republican senators and congressmen: why are you hiding behind empty promises—lies—when you tell the American people they’ll be better off with a plan that throws scores of millions under the healthcare bus? Why say your plan is better for the people it is intended to hurt? Premiums may or may not shrink, but if they do, it will be because they are buying less coverage. Why say that pre-existing conditions will still be covered? All we really know is that pre-existing condition coverage will be left to the states, and that, depending on your state of residence, you may or may not be covered. The only thing that is certain is that it will be expensive.
Look, if you’re dedicated to your ideology, don’t lie to cover it up. Wear it proudly. Put it out there as it is, and let the American people rally behind you if they will.
I know that shooting the messenger never loses its charm, but citing the Congressional Budget Office when they deliver estimates you like and then impugning them when their analyses hurt your cause is more transparent than you think. No one is fooled for long.
Tell the truth: you hate entitlements. You don’t care that the working poor, children, the elderly and the infirm will suffer for your ideological purity. Just say that you don’t believe in an America where the rich take care of the poor. Where Medicaid is an unjust burden on the wealthy and is delivered on a silver platter to the undeserving. Just say it and stop pretending that you’ve created a bill that won’t hurt anyone. Stop saying that your bill is better than Obamacare in coverage and pricing. Just say that ending Medicaid as we know it is a feature, not a bug. Pretending that your “fix” has anything to do with Obamacare (which could and should be fixed) is a blatant falsehood that dishonors you and your offices.
In addition to the CBO, doctors, hospitals, healthcare systems, insurers, and even the famously politically cautious, nonpartisan National Governors Association have all scored your bill. They find it, in the words of Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, “unacceptable.”
Try intellectual honesty for a change. You love to claim that the American people are on your side. Show your cards and let the chips fall where they may.
©Jon Sinton 2017