Why repeat ACA’s misstep?

Republicans who steadfastly oppose the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as “Obamacare,” should not repeat its greatest mistake. That law was deeply flawed from the beginning because it imposed a major policy reform on the entire country without a single Republican vote.

We are a national family — no matter how much political discord there may be.

A unilateral, one-party shake-up of our health-care system was the wrong approach in 2010. It ensured instability. It ensured Republican opposition during the Obama presidency.

It ensured Republicans would hit back as soon as they had the political power to do so.

A unilateral, one-party shake-up of our health-care system is the wrong approach today.

Republicans have to get smart instead of just getting even. It’s harder. It’s less viscerally satisfying.

It takes the kind of leadership a party in power is duty-bound to exhibit — no matter what the other guy did.

If Republicans use their power the way Democrats did, they will perpetuate instability in a system that represents about one-sixth of the nation’s economy.

That system touches the lives and loved ones of every single American. Changes that reduce access to care or price it out of reach are not in America’s best interest. This is not a defense of Obamacare. It is a call for Republicans to rise above the past and make this reform a bipartisan effort that earns buy-in from across the political spectrum.

That’s right. It’s time to work together.

It’s time to bring together people from both parties who are willing to talk it out and work it out for the good of the entire country.

Such compromises aren’t easy. There is a great temptation for Senate Republicans to go it alone. To cajole and bargain with reluctant members.

That process is underway. Republicans should not forget how they criticized Democrats for doing exactly the same thing when Obamacare needed votes.

Nor should they forget the challenges facing Republican governors of states — like Arizona — that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA.

Twenty Republican senators represent 14 of the 31 states that expanded Medicaid. Those states have a lot to lose under the proposal passed by the House and the one that was put forth in the Senate.

The health-care industry is wary of what Republicans are proposing. States are wary. Americans are wary.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found only 12 percent of Americans support the Senate Republican healthcare plan. Fifty-three percent said Congress should leave Obamacare alone or work to fix it.

That’s in stark contrast with the longheld Republican goal of repealing Obamacare. Support for repeal remains strong among the GOP base, but the GOP leadership needs to recognize the dangers of following the Democrats’ bad example.

Imposing another major, unilateral change on the health-care industry would be déjà vu all over again.

If the GOP acts alone now, Democrats will reverse or undermine those actions as soon as they gain power. In the meantime, they will obstruct. They will have a cudgel to use in campaigns.

The health-care industry will face systemic whiplash. It will continue to be denied the clarity and stability necessary to function efficiently. Americans deserve better. Insurance companies need the confidence not to bolt from markets or jack up costs.

American families deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing they can afford and get the care they need.

So, how do we get there? Democrats have indicated an openness to bipartisan talks — but only if repeal is off the table. Republicans want to fulfill their promises to bury Obamacare.

It looks more like a recipe for stalemate than for compromise. It doesn’t have to end that way.

As the party in power, Republicans need to stop seeing the repeal of Obamacare as a nail to pound, and start seeing it as the hammer. They can use that hammer — that ability to crush the ACA — to bring Democrats to the table.

The only way to come up with a plan that is durable and fosters stability is by learning the big lesson from Obamacare.

Something as big and important as health-care reform needs to done with the full participation of all parts of the American family.

Republicans and Democrats need to hash this out together.

Both sides can find political advantage in preserving the battle lines. But neither side will be truly serving their country or their constituents by perpetuating instability in the health-care system.

It’s time to do something really tough. It’s time to work together.