It pains me to agree with the Wapo. I hate Obamacare just as I hate socialized medicine. I detest our health insurance system.
If Obamacare is immediately repealed without a replacement, a lot of people with serious illnesses will see their health insurance revoked. That is gonna give the Rats a treasure trove of propaganda to parade in front of us nightly in the MSM.
Furthermore, any replacement bill for Obamacare had better be well thought out & actually improves our healthcare system. Otherwise, Congress will be seen replacing bad law with more bad law.
I understand that Pubs had no hand in creating/passing Obamacare, but remember, Congress has passed a lot of bad bills with Pub support. There is no guarantee that any new bills passed will improve the system, & a real possibility that the new system will be chock full of flaws, causing death & chaos.
I am not at all sure the likes of McConnell/Ryan can produce anything better than did Reid/Pelosi.
I believe it would be far wiser to repeal certain portions of Obamacare as a START, such as the tax penalty mandate, while CAREFULLY crafting a high quality replacement for Obamacare.
Racing to replace a leaky drain plug with another different, but leaky plug will still sink the boat. Further, the new repairman looks just as incompetent as the old one. Republicans are risking the mandate they got from the people if they screw this up, & Congress has a long history of doing just that.
If Pubs can get this right in the minds of the people they can dominate government for decades, but if they pass a bill chock full of hubris, pork, & special interest payoffs, they wont hold Congress for very long.
I believe the Federal government screws up most of what it touches. In an ideal country the Federal gov. would have little involvement with health care & no ability to manipulate it through legislation. Same for Education & a slew of other areas where Congress & the Feds have exceeded Constitutional authority.
So the idea that Republicans are gonna immediately repeal Obamacare & replace it with something BETTER is a long shot for success, given current Congressional leadership. Wiser still would be to repeal/replace some of the most unpopular parts of Obamacare, thereby gaining the confidence & support of the people who elected them.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. If you try to cram the whole thing in your mouth you will choke.
I like your “one-bite-at-time” plan.
1. Repeal the penalties for NOT buying Obamacare insurance. Healthy folks will then be free to buy the health insurance they actually want at a much lower cost from the multi-state market.
2. Authorize tax-deductible Health Savings Accounts that are NOT “spend-it-or-lose-it” plans for routine medical expenses like check-ups and shots.
IMHO, these changes will cause mass defections from Obamacare.
3. Transfer those remaining Obamacare patients with serious health problems to Medicaid.
4. Refer any remaining Obamacare patients to “vetted” private insurance companies. The patients can then choose the insurer they like an. They can also choose the features they like — such as coverage for dependents until they reach 25, at the level of coverage they are wiling to pay for.