It's officially H.R. 277. House Resolution Two-hundred seventy-seven. The American Health Care Reform Act.
This is the long awaited repeal and replacement of ObamaCare, which is awesome except it isn't.
To be fair there is no way for any one bill to solve the mess of ObamaCare, let alone the entire challenge of fixing what is wrong with health care in America.
President Trump wants the House to pass H.R. 277 or he will hang it around their neck. He is wrong in his thinking here.
What I offer is a smarter strategy. I am not solving the problem, although with enough people in the room our health care crisis could be dramatically improved, if not eliminated. My strategy is simple and direct.
It accepts the reality we have ObamaCare and Democrats passed it without one single Republican vote. It factually reminds you ObamaCare architects have admitted publicly they lied about key provisions to get it passed. It reminds you the lawmakers who voted for it never read it in its entirety.
So, here is my strategy which, if I were a Republican, which I am not, I would argue until I ran out of breath.
- ObamaCare is bad and it is about to get much worse. Let it. Look, do you want to follow the failed model of treating the symptom or do want to eliminate the problem and get to the cause? Remember, Barack Obama illegally (GOP should have sued to stop him) blocked key provisions of his health care bill until he was out of office. He delayed via Executive Order. Let America enjoy the whole thing - the entire (un)Affordable Care Act. It won't be pretty, but it is necessary.
- As a result of the entire ObamaCare program being implemented citizens will be really unhappy. Yes, there will be real loss out there, but this is what happens when Congress acts inappropriately. It's time for Democrats to truly pay for what and how they passed the ACA. The GOP does not need to follow suit.
- In 2007-2008 Obama promised to pull troops out of Iraq. He carried out his pledge and ISIS was born. Iraqi leaders have publicly stated we left too soon. The reason Obama did what he did in Iraq was political. He said he would, he did. The problem is he was wrong. So, too, are Republicans, including the President. It is wrong to move the new health care plan until it is truly ready. It's not and the only reason for pushing it is...political. A promise made. Look familiar? Of course, but the pledge can still be kept.
- The GOP needs to hammer famous sound bites by Nancy Pelosi, Jonathan Gruber, and others about ObamaCare. Remind all Americans how it was passed without reading it and in a way which would deceive the stupid American voter (their words not mine). Explain why it fails. Explain what is coming and at the same time admit mistakes.
- The Republicans should have been working on a repeal and replacement plan the moment ObamaCare was shoved down the citizens' throats. They did not. If they did, they did not do it well or we would not be here with a divided response among the GOP. Admit the failures and spend two years going around the nation listening and taking very good notes.
- Let all of ObamaCare hit and, in two years when the real pain of the program is felt, hang it around the Democrats necks and let them be strangled by what they passed.
- Republicans hastily passing a plan which ignores key issues facing health care and Americans will come back to haunt the GOP in two years. Do it my way and it haunts the left.
Letting people feel the full effect of ObamaCare may put a stake through the heart of socialize medicine in our country. Tell me - is that worth waiting for? I think it is and I think this may be the only shot we have at this behemoth.
There is nothing easy about fixing health care in America, which flawed as it is, is still the best in the world.
A few weeks ago I had to see my dentist, endodontist, general physician, and a radiologist. I saw them all in days. In socialized medicine it likely would have been months, maybe years, if at all.
Just some things to think about.