Paul Waldman with the Plum Line in the Washington Post wrote an opinion piece that deserves attention for stating what many Americans, inside and outside of politics, feel. Waldman holds nothing back (nothing) when describing the AHCA/Trumpcare plan, which was passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Here are excerpts form Waldman’s piece.
“Here at the Plum Line, we write a lot about the mechanics of politics — the processes of governing, the interplay of political forces, the back-and-forth between citizens and lawmakers, and so on. We do that because it’s interesting and because it winds up affecting all our lives. But there are moments when you have to set aside the mechanics and focus intently on the substance of what government does — or in this case, what government is trying to do.”
And then, Waldman begins to fire away...
“I won’t mince words. The health-care bill that the House of Representatives passed this afternoon, in an incredibly narrow 217-to-213 vote, is not just wrong, or misguided, or problematic or foolish. It is an abomination. If there has been a piece of legislation in our lifetimes that boiled over with as much malice and indifference to human suffering, I can’t recall what it might have been. And every member of the House who voted for it must be held accountable.”
Waldman talks about how the GOP rushed to pass the AHCA revised bill without having a single hearing and before few had a chance to read the bill’s actual text. And that was “despite the fact that they are remaking one-sixth of the American economy and affecting all of our lives.” He reminds us of the ridiculous and false Republican/GOP claim that said the ACA/Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was “rammed” through Congress when in truth, the ACA was actually was debated for a year and went through dozens of hearings and endless public discussions before passing.
The Plum Line writer mentions major medical organizations and patient advocates that oppose the bill including AMA (American Medical Association), the AHA (American Hospital Association), the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, and many more. There are numerous reasons the Trumpcare bill is malicious and Waldman lists 13 in more detail in his piece. Seven are highlighted below. The AHCA bill:
- Takes health insurance away from at least 24 million Americans
- Enables states to remove the coverage from otherwise-eligible people and cut benefits if they so choose.
- Cuts Medicaid overall by $880 billion over 10 years
- Allows insurers to charge much higher premiums to older patients.
- Allows insurers to impose yearly and lifetime caps on coverage
- Provides hundreds of billions in tax cuts for the rich
- Produces higher deductibles for patients.
- Those with preexisting conditions will go into high-risk pools, “which are absolutely the worst way to cover those patients”
And just like the “bad old days,” Waldman says, “when you apply for insurance you’ll have to document every single condition or ailment you’ve ever had” via medical underwriting.
“It is no exaggeration to say that if it were to become law, this bill would kill significant numbers of Americans. People who lose their Medicaid, don’t go to the doctor, and wind up finding out too late that they’re sick. People whose serious conditions put them up against lifetime limits or render them unable to afford what’s on offer in the high-risk pools, and are suddenly unable to get treatment.”
Waldman says those deaths are not abstractions, and those who vote to bring them about must held accountable. “This can and should be a career-defining vote for every member of the House. No one who votes for something this vicious should be allowed to forget it — ever.” He adds that the House members who voted yes to the bill should be challenged about it at “every town hall meeting, at every campaign debate, in every election and every day as the letters and phone calls from angry and betrayed constituents make clear the intensity of their revulsion at what their representatives have done.”
Waldman lets no one off the hook. Although this bill may never become law, he says, that would not negate the “moral responsibility of those who supported it.” He adds the AHCA is not just some “inconsequential” bill Congress votes on regularly, it’s “one of the most critical moments in recent American political history ... the Republican health-care bill is an act of monstrous cruelty. It should stain those who supported it to the end of their days.”
I would highly recommend reading Waldman’s full piece here. The man nails it.
May the people of this country never forget the GOP traitors of American decency. Hopefully, Trump and House members who signed the AHCA, enjoyed their little frat party in our nation’s Rose Garden following the bill’s passage, because the hangover for those aging white boys (and “a few white girls”) is going to be hell—and it’s gonna last the rest of their days.