TPM's Brian Beutler writes about the silence from Republicans when it comes to the aspects of the Affordable Care Act that help their constituents as they push various repeal efforts.
But that presents them with a conundrum when they head back to their states and districts and face constituents who stand to benefit from the law right now -- seniors who are entitled to free checkups, and young adults, who can now stay on their parents' insurance until they turn 26, for example. Republicans can chose to help those constituents navigate the law -- answer their questions constructively, encourage them to seek those benefits -- or they can let their political agendas interfere.
Different strokes for different folks.
"I'm a practical guy. I believe redoing the bill and replacing it is the best for everybody. Until that day comes, if you have a legitimate need under the current structure, I'll help you meet it," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). "It's like the stimulus funds -- I voted against it but, you know."
A number of provisions in the bill, Graham says, he'd like to see in a successor law.
"There's some things in there like parents being able to keep their kids on insurance while they're going to school -- that's good stuff. There are things that I do [promote]."
....
The fact that many of the constituents of the law's opponents have already benefited from the reform hasn't gone unnoticed by the law's supporters. "[Mitch] McConnell should go door to door in Kentucky and tell thousands of seniors to cough up the $250 donut-hole checks they received from the new health care law to buy their prescription drugs," said Ethan Rome, executive director of Health Care for America Now, in a statement.
Of course, the bill that Graham is introducing, along with Wyoming's John Barasso, would not preserve those parts of the law that he says he supports. It would allow states to opt out of all of the provisions--including the popular ones that his constituents benefit by--and not replace them.