Reports
indicated that House Republicans were giddy about yesterday's upcoming vote on
the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and they entered the chamber to the
theme song of (you can’t make this stuff up) .... “Rocky”! Yo, Adrian!
Are Cuff and Link in the audience? Is that Paul Ryan getting in his workout
with a slab of Wisconsin beef?
Not to be
outdone, after the vote passed, the Democrats taunted their Republican rivals
singing "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, hey, hey, goodbye" (does that
song actually have a title?) I must be mistaken. I thought we were in
the hallowed halls of our government, not at a high
school basketball game or watching the closing scene to
"Remember the Titans". I thought we were dealing with
people's lives.
Is this
the best we have to offer? Truly, both parties must share the blame,
as politicians on both sides scramble to deal with the new world order set by
our reality TV star president, who in his perverted attempt to drain the swamp
has in the process only presided over the removal of the
last remaining shreds of dignity in our government and taken us to new lows.
And yet
the passage of the House bill, at its most basic level, does represent
progress. Whatever your belief or position is on healthcare, for the first time
in seven years we have 'movement', and this point should not be
understated. Obamacare, despite its problems has done one important
thing. It elevated the standard that the federal government must now be
involved in health care. Questions abound over what that involvement
should be, but there is no denying the fact that the bar has been
raised.
As it
relates to the passage of the AHCA in the House, Democrats will argue that the
lack of CBO rating, the loss of coverage for millions of Americans, the added
burden on the poor and the elderly, and the tax break for the rich, are all motivated
to provide President Trump with a short term victory showing he can
actually get something done. Republicans will argue that Obamacare was
collapsing under its own weight, that more and more insurers were dropping out
of local markets, that the system was inefficient and premiums were going
through the roof. Democrats have said they are willing to make changes to
Obamacare. Republicans have required that it be repealed. When you
get right down to it, that's what this has all been about - ego. Everyone's
ego. And while President Trump has talked about bringing people
together during the campaign, his own massive ego, has been a major impediment
to that goal.
But
again, whether you like or dislike this bill, it is now moving on to the
Senate, where the few remaining adults in the room must now take
on the most important role of their lives. Senate Republicans have
an opportunity to take a deep breath, wait and analyze the CBO rating, and buff
and polish or tear and re-write the plan put forth by their House
counterparts. The Senate Democrats, who have said they are willing to fix
Obamacare, now must step up to the plate and actually provide some specifics.
And while I won't get my hopes up too much, with the Senate balanced 52 -
48, I want to believe that this represents the perfect opportunity to
achieve a bi-partisan win for both parties, and for our country, if
the adults in the room behave like adults. It's been a long time, so I am
not really certain, but I think this is how the history
books said democracy is supposed to work.
Of
course, if they are able to reach a consensus in the Senate, then it’s back to
the House, where we may need a heavenly miracle to pull out a last minute kick
save. But I never thought the Pats were
going to pull off their stunning come-from-behind Super Bowl win this year, so if
you asked me now, I would say, yes, I do believe in miracles.
Speaking
for myself, I don't care if we repeal or replace. I just want to live on
a country where we can offer health insurance in an effective and cost
efficient manner, to everyone, especially to those who can least afford it
today. If my taxes have to stay up or go up even further, I could care
less. It will be some of the best damn money I ever spend in my lifetime.
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