Perspectives From Across The Country: Placing Blame For Senate GOP Health Bill’s Implosion; The Local Damage Repeal Could Do
Opinion writers examine how repealing Obamacare would play out in their states and towns.
The Kansas City Star:
Blame Donald Trump For The Collapse Of Health Care Reform
Let’s be clear and up front: President Donald Trump is primarily responsible for this week’s collapse of Obamacare reform. There are other suspects: Sen. Rand Paul, who demanded full repeal and would not compromise. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who cloaked reform efforts in single-party secrecy. Moderates such as Sen. Susan Collins played a role, as did Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas, who drove stakes into the heart of the preferred reform bill Monday night. And, of course, the liberal mainstream media. Might as well throw us in. But the failure is Trump’s. (Dave Helling, 7/19)
Lexington Herald Leader:
My Mistake: I Thought GOP Really Wanted To Pass Obamacare Repeal
I owe my liberal Democratic friends an apology. For years they have been saying the congressional GOP was just passing Obamacare repeals for show, and that they didn’t have a valid replacement bill. I defended them, thinking, naively perhaps, that they really did want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and that one of the many bills they had proposed would unify the party and it would pass with a Republican majority in Congress and become law with a Republican president’s signature. (J. Brandon Thompson, 7/19)
WBUR:
Who Killed The GOP Health Care Bill? The American People
After eight years of promising voters fix for the ACA’s high deductibles and paltry provider networks, the Republican House and Senate delivered a bill that would have worsened nearly everything that most people hate about health insurance. Their failure is our calling to envision something better and unite behind it. (Miles Howard, 7/20)
Arizona Republic:
Obamacare Replacement May Be DOA, But It Was Worth Passing
Obamacare regulations have destroyed this market for most Americans. Unless heavily subsidized or seriously sick, the only plans now available are lousy value propositions. (Robert Robb, 7/19)
Kansas City Star:
Repealing Obamacare Outright Would Hurt Kansans
Without enough votes to pass the U.S. Senate’s proposed health reform bill, we’re still hearing calls to simply repeal the Affordable Care Act — including from President Donald Trump. If successful, an outright repeal would greatly harm Kansans and create instability in our insurance markets. (Michael Munger, 7/19)
Lexington Herald Leader:
Kentuckians Must Advocate For Their Health Care
Physicians, like our nation, have strong, diverse opinions about the Affordable Care Act and efforts underway to repeal it. As a physician, dean and president of the American Osteopathic Association, which represents more than 129,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students, my mandate is to support policies that will ensure patients are better off in the future than they are today. (Boyd R. Buser, 7/19)
Lincoln Journal-Star:
Time Ripe For Bipartisan Health Care Revisions
The American Health Care Act is dead. So are the Better Care Reconciliation Act and a repeal of Obamacare without a replacement, as both have sufficient opposition to be dead on arrival. With the Republicans’ efforts for health care reform reduced to smoldering ruins, now what? (7/20)
