An AHCA revival

As a concerned citizen, I am perplexed about the reappearance of the American Health Care Act among the GOP leadership’s legislative priorities. Do not attempt to revive the AHCA with the only substantive change being to enable states to opt out of requiring essential health benefits. This will, in practice, cause the bill to offer consumers a worse product. It will still not adequately control premium costs and will kick millions off of insurance.

If legislators are going to take action on health care, I implore them to be in opposition to this bill. Any reform should implement real cost control measures, including but not limited to: allowing people younger than 65 to opt into Medicare, offering a public option to all or crafting a single-payer health care system.

Any bill that isn’t scored by the Congressional Budget Office and isn’t projected to genuinely improve health outcomes and the financial burden of costs associated with health care — while maintaining (or improving) current coverage levels — is not worth the political points the passing of legislation may earn those who vote for it. Our representatives’ duty is to draft legislation that will improve the lives of their constituents and make the AHCA look attractive to the people, not to legislators’ pocketbooks. DYLAN MOLLOY

Bloomfield