I watch in dismay as our Republican leaders can’t effectively repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Representative Scott Tipton has claimed to have made an attempt to improve the American Health Care Act (Trumpcare), and by all appearances, he has failed. At the time of Tipton’s vote, there was an incomplete analysis for which he and voters could not make an educated decision. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, said, “the bill should be viewed with caution.”
This hurried vote reeks of political grandstanding versus improving the lives of constituents.
Here are some of the remaining issues:
There had been no public hearings.There was no final text.There was no updated Congressional Budget Office score.It was opposed by virtually every patient advocacy group and everyone in the health care industry.Congress was exempted from the new rules that allow states to waive essential benefits.It will raise premiums dramatically for older people.It will remove protection against being turned down for a pre-existing condition, which now includes domestic violence, sexual assault, C-section and postpartum depression.It would steadily gut Medicaid spending for the very poorest.It would remove coverage from at least 24 million people, probably more.It would slash taxes on the rich by about a trillion dollars over 10 years.As the process digresses and health insurance premiums increase, I ask that you keep this in mind when entering the voting booth in 2018.
Dan Miller
Mancos
