Repeal And Replace.



Repeal And Replace.  The window of opportunity has been pried open by reality, but many hands are trying to pull it back down.  How long it remains open is very real question.  There exists an opportunity NOW to repeal and replace what is quite possibly the worst piece of legislation ever approved by our government.  It should be done.

In the past, I have been an advocate of trying to fix Obamacare, as opposed to trying to repeal Obamacare.   I attribute that opinion to an objective and pragmatic view that told me repeal was not politically possible and that a fix was essential.  Like almost everyone else, I did not anticipate the degree to which this legislation would fail.  That colossal failure has created the possibility  of starting over (in a legislative sense) by simultaneously repealing the ACA and passing a new piece of health care legislation that reflects the 80 percent of the ACA that can garner bi-partisan support.

You might ask…Why not just fix Obamacare?  The answer is simple.  Even though there is a great deal in the ACA that reflects bi-partisan solutions to real problems in our health care system, the fact is that the ACA is intrinsically tied to the mandates, both individual and employee.   The mandate is woven throughout the fabric of the ACA and it would be impossible to remove it without destroying the program.  I am not a lawyer and do not have a professional understanding of the law, but it continues to confound me that the Supreme Court could rule that it is legal to require us to buy health insurance and then have the government prescribe exactly what that health insurance should be.  This is simply wrong and contrary to so much that our country stands for.

 Democrats could not stomach stand-alone repeal of Obamacare; they have too much skin invested.  They are, however, beginning to realize that the program is fundamentally flawed and will never function as it is designed.  They are looking for a way out of this thing.  The Republican ploy of delaying the mandate is not the solution; that just postpones the inevitable.  In the long run, it will lock in the damage for many, many more citizens.  The rumored Administration ploy of supplying a new subsidy to those who lost existing policies is nonsensical…on so many levels.  It would simply exacerbate the existing problems and do absolutely nothing to address the fundamental fissures in the program.

There was a bi-partisan plan or two in the Senate prior to passage of Obamacare.  There has been a multitude of Obamacare fixes passed in the House.  Clearly, there is common ground between the two parties on health care legislation and that ground has been somewhat prepared.  Without obtrusively inserting government into our lives and personal choices on health care, I believe we can all accept that some of our tax money could be spent on insuring that all Americans have a minimal amount of health care maintenance.  If each party can get around their “win at all costs and crush the opponent” strategies that they are currently employing, they could promulgate some repeal and replace legislation that reflects good compromise and both can declare victory.  Is that really too much to ask from a democratic government?