Healthcare Fail?

Yes and no. Obamacare has more legs than its enemies thought. But then the program was incompletely formed and introduced, a product of compromise that makes sausage-making look positively pristine! The Republicans know this because they were the authors of the poison pills baked into Obamacare. They knew they were going to lose their fight back in 2009 so they ‘spoiled the broth.’

That means they also knew where to look for the broken pieces that needed to be ‘fixed’ only their fix was elimination outright (60+ attempts during Obama’s two terms in office) or at least emasculate the program so it would fall of its own weight.

The latter may still happen but that would be bad. Too many people rely on the program for their everyday healthcare. Eliminating the program would be a disaster for tens of millions of people.

So the Republican idea was to replace Obamacare with their own rube Goldberg creation. They nearly did so until the researchers discovered that 24 million people would lose coverage in the next few years. And poor people would have the new program price them out of existence while rich people culled still more wealth from public programs.

Well, anyway, republicans lost in their latest campaign to embarrass Obama instead managing the near-impossible task of embarrassing themselves. This was well earned on their part. Congratulations republicans on showing your true colors and your inability to govern.

Ideology makes for bad government; usually does. Check out Mussolini, Hitler, many leaders in Africa and South America. Strong leaders in the guise of dictators usually spell disaster for the masses. So too in America. Learn the lessons, Trump and trumpettes.

If you truly wish to fix healthcare in America then sit down with a cross section of Americans and begin the process of defining what outcomes are wished for. Accessibility is one; affordability is another. Research and medical discovery are yet others to assure quality results.

When that process is done, then set out to determine the cost of providing each and every one of the ideas. Some will be too costly and will need to be eliminated. Others will be practical and should be saved and implemented.

Next, design the delivery system and determine what will be needed to smoothly administer such a program. Now you are getting somewhere manageable. Give it more time and thought process. In time phase one will be ready for unveiling; in carefully timed segments other phases can be prepared and introduced as well. And then implemented.

This is a picture of people working together on common cause. It is also a picture of collaboration. We Americans do that well and have for centuries. Rather than pit each other against each other, let’s find the common ground and work on solving related problems.

Please let us do this. The whole world is watching. I’d rather they see a success rather than a failure. How about you?

March 28, 2017