Health care.
Again.
Do the Republicans, and conservatives in general, really not get the fact that most Americans need reliable health insurance that covers the checkups, basic procedures, and tests they need to stay healthy? Do they really not understand that, yes, you can lower the cost of health insurance, but past a certain point it becomes prohibitively expensive to actually use the plan because deductibles and co-insurance rates are sky high? Are they really that ignorant of the idea that reliable, comprehensive health insurance coverage is in itself a safety net that allows Americans to work productively and plan for their financial and physical future?
Health care was the number one issue in the 2018 elections, and the overwhelming majority of Americans said they disapproved of taking away, or making more expensive, coverage for pre-existing conditions. They like that physicals require no co-payment and that contraceptives are covered by most employers. So what seems to be the GOP position on health care?
You’re on your own, and if you have a pre-existing condition…stop it!
Of course, the Federal Court ruling last week is only the first step in the process of appeals that will likely culminate in a Supreme Court ruling in the middle of another presidential election. And we certainly know that Donald “Nobody Knew Health Care Could Be So Complicated” Trump is going to be absolutely useless on this issue. His response to the judicial ruling was to say that we’re going to fix the system and get everybody great health care.
Except that he spent the first 8 months of his presidency trying to repeal the law that put us on that course, then supported a GOP bill that would have thrown 20 million people off their plans. And he had a Republican majority in both houses of Congress to help him, but they couldn’t get it done. His opportunity to get a bill that actually fixes the deficiencies of the ACA is gone.
The GOP isn’t getting any help from the states either. Soon to be ex-Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, just signed a bill that prohibits the state from leaving a suit that challenges the ACA. I’m sure that more conservatives, even the ones who lost in November, will continue to try and get rid of the law. And people’s health insurance. Without a workable alternative. Refill the swamp, no?
Now that the Democrats control the House of Representatives, the chances are they will propose a bill more to the liking of most Americans who struggle with paying their bills and maintaining their health, which is mostly everyone with a middle-class income or less. They should make necessary changes to the ACA and make sure that every American knows that the consequences of the Republican assault on their ability to buy insurance will mean a drop in their quality of life.
And it’s not just health care that will ultimately spell doom for the Republicans. The climate, pollution, indictments, the trade war, unconscionable treatment of refugees and those who are trying to flee political and personal terror, a tax law that will explode the deficit and help the wealthy, the stock market, overt racism and sexism and, ultimately, a president who knows no boundaries when it comes to disrespecting the constitution, will all combine to remind voters that the United States is better than those who are presently running it.
It was immigration that likely won the election for Trump in 2016. Health care will be his, and the GOP’s undoing in 2020.
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