Congressional Republicans are determined to pass their latest healthcare repeal bill despite widespread opposition and the fact that they know the bill is a load of garbage. The very same senators who plan to vote for the bill can't explain what's good about it. The organizations dedicated to just about any disease or body part you can think of oppose the bill. A group of 10 governors wrote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling on him to ditch the bill, and to the four Republicans and one independent in that group, add criticism from Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu:
“The Graham-Cassidy bill is not a solution that works for Maryland,” Mr. Hogan said. “It will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens.” [...]
Mr. Sununu said he could not support the Graham-Cassidy proposal because “New Hampshire could possibly lose over $1 billion in Medicaid funding between 2020 and 2026.” He said such a cost shift would be a particular problem for his state because “New Hampshire is proud of its tradition of not having an income tax or sales tax.”
Here’s an insurance company CEO:
“From a public policy standpoint, it is not a good piece of legislation,” Centene’s chief executive, Michael F. Neidorff, said in an interview. He urged lawmakers from both parties to work together to avoid passing a law before understanding its full impact. States may not be able to plan, given the uncertainty over their funding, he said. “You could end up with 50 different plans,” he said.
“This is unlike anything I have ever seen,” Mr. Neidorff said. “They have to sit back and think through what they are doing.”
“Let’s sit back and think through what we are doing” is not exactly the Republican Party motto circa 2017, though. And to the extent they have thought about what they’re doing with Graham-Cassidy, you know what? They like the harm they’re going to cause.
Thought Obamacare was safe? Think again. Republicans have revived their repeal effort and we must stop them. Keep calling your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them DON’T REPEAL OBAMACARE! (After you call, please tell us how it went.)