Obamacare repeal’s failure: ‘Political self-interests ahead of national interests’

U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia accurately sized up the situation after Senate Republicans fell two votes short of approving a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, thanks to three Republicans voting against their leadership’s bill. Both Perdue and Georgia senior Sen. Johnny Isakson voted for the measure.

“Throughout this entire process, we have witnessed everything that’s wrong with Washington,” Perdue said. “The Senate had a real opportunity to dismantle the most damaging parts of Obamacare. As Republicans have railed against the failures of Obamacare for the last seven years, Democrats have failed to acknowledge any shortcomings of Obamacare and refused to try to fix a broken system.”

Perdue blamed “an unworkable budget process and politicians who put their political self-interests ahead of national interest,” which leaves Obamacare as the law of the land. The senator spelled out the consequences: “This means more than 300,000 Georgians below the poverty line will still not have access to the insurance Obamacare promised. Additionally, this means the Medicaid expansion will continue as an open-ended government program that cannot be sustained.”

Add to that the comments by Congressman Tom Graves, the Republican representing the Rome area. He was “deeply disappointed and frustrated by the Senate’s failure to pass a bill,” and pointed to the House’s earlier passage of a bill “to fulfill our promise” — referring to the promises made by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare ever since it was enacted in 2010 without a single GOP vote.

If our congressman and senators are disappointed, what about the feelings of Georgians barely able or unable to afford insurance under the misnamed “Affordable Care Act?” Their plight was described last January by Sen. Isakson in a speech to the Senate. He gave two examples of the devastating effects of Obamacare close to home.

“Two parents in Georgia picked the least expensive plan available this year to their family of four. But it comes out with a $6,500 deductible and $2,400 a month premium, unsustainable,” he said. “A couple in their 60s had a similar plan, but were just outside the subsidy limit of $96,000 for the family. So they’re paying over 50 percent of their income just for health insurance.”

And for the uninsured — whether because of financial inability or other reasons — the federal tax penalties are piled on at the yearly rate of $695 per adult and $347.50 per child under 18 or 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income, whichever is greater, up to a maximum $2,085 for this year. That is punitive any way you look at any of these options.

Unsustainable indeed, as Isakson said. Yet the victims of Obamacare are left in the lurch with no help in sight. The chance for Republicans to get a bill through with hope of refining it in conference committee bit the dust when Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, living up to his “maverick” reputation, dramatically cast the final, deciding vote against the bill, joining the other two no-voting Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and all 48 Democrats.

Sen. Perdue had the right take going forward. “The American people should be outraged and should demand real change now,” he said. “It is extremely important that we get this fixed. We have to make sure people have access to affordable health care, which they don’t under Obamacare. We have got to work to reduce premiums, which have skyrocketed and priced people out of the market. We have got to put Medicaid on a sustainable path and make sure preexisting conditions continue to be covered. Those are the big objectives and nothing has changed. Now, we have got to come together and get this done for the American people.”

Yet it’s an open question as to whether there will be anything done to repeal and replace Obamacare. After the embarrassing vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was time to change focus and Speaker Paul Ryan pivoted to tax cuts as heading his to-do list.

Thus, the millions of people caught between soaring premiums, lack of coverage or no coverage and punitive penalties are still trapped — because of Republican divisions resulting in an abject failure to keep promises made to repeal and replace Obamacare. It’s a sad and very disappointing state of affairs. Obamacare lives on. Daryl Cagle, CagleCartoons.com

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