With the myth that the Republicans are doing away with protections for pre-existing conditions behind us and with the House voting for a repeal and replace Healthcare package, everything now depends upon a progressive Republican Senate. Will the progressives in the Senate so alter the Healthcare package that conservatives in the House can no longer vote for it? Or will the Senate pass the package as is?
Today is nothing to be excited about. Trumpcare is not a conservative solution to the Obamacare debacle. What it is, is a moderate attempt to reform the broken system the Democrats and Obama left us with. It’ll take two years before we start seeing any measurable and meaningful results, but we will see results.
More importantly, we must view this legislation (if the Senate doesn’t destroy it) as a first step toward returning healthcare to the American people and the free market. Secretary Price must use his authority to make changes where changes can be made bureaucratically. President Donald Trump need not celebrate this deal the House struck today, but ought to call for more reforms to come.
Furthermore, Republican Governors need to learn their lesson about forcing their entire State into dependency upon federal funds for their expanding Medicaid programs. The truth is, that just as our insurance industry and our fellow citizens have been burdened by the prohibitive costs associated with the ACA, Medicaid costs will continue to absorb more and more of our State budgets, crowding out revenue sharing with our county governments, and forcing massive increases in property taxes. Governors like John Kasich decided to use the federal largess to supplement Medicaid’s growing budget-share in Ohio. In five years, the bump received from federal subsidies will disappear, and the Ohio State Legislature will have to find new money somewhere, either through statewide tax increases, or reduced funding for local governments.
Trump and Ryan’s ACHA cannot be the final word on healthcare reform.
I am pleased that most of the Virginia delegation chose to vote for this compromised legislation. It’s a baby step in the right direction. However, we all need to see leadership from our Virginia delegation to continue pursuing free-market solutions and returning healthcare back to the American People. Something this important must be entrusted to the populace, not to the government. The principles of mutual benefit between We The People and the private sector will drive down costs, lower premiums, and save human lives. That must be our long-term goal.
I know that conservatives are upset that they couldn’t get a more meaningful and robust repeal package. So am I. However, the days of simply shaking our fists at the establishment, unwilling to compromise, unwilling to govern, must come to an end. The Republican Party is now responsible for governing the United States of America – all of it, not just the conservative Republican base. This is, no doubt, a heavy burden, but a burden we must carry and a responsibility we must exercise nonetheless.
Mitch McConnell – you’re up. Don’t play games with the conservative base. The House Freedom Caucus will kill a compromised Senate bill, and the egg on our faces will be sticky and thick. You don’t want that.
