Health care reform is farce, and badly acted

The august members of the U.S. Senate are learning something their counterparts in the House already know.

Talking about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act is one thing. Actually doing so is quite another.

For seven years, Republicans railed against the signature legislation of former President Barack Obama. They took any number of votes to repeal the measure, then loudly proclaimed their actions.

Of course, it was for the most part a hollow gesture. They knew that no matter how many times they voted to overturn the ACA, President Obama was waiting there with his trusty pen ready to veto the action and they did not have the votes to override.

But that scenario was turned on its head when Donald Trump was elected president and declared that one of his first actions would be to overturn Obamacare.

Knowing their votes now meant something, House members suddenly got cold feet.

Local Congressmen Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, and Ryan Costello, R-6, who had initially voted in favor of moving the GOP plan out of their committees, announced they could not support the measure.

Now it’s the Senate’s turn. It took a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence to even move the Senate version out to the full floor.

Once there, it became apparent once again the measure did not have the support of the Republican majority. Two versions went to votes and failed.

Now the Senate is mulling what is mockingly being called “skinny” health reform- a plan that rolls back Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates.

But most senators have not seen the actual bill and don’t know what’s in it.

Here’s the real “skinny” on the health care battle:

Americans are divided on what to do about health care, but they should be united in this conclusion: Senate Republicans’ manic approach to reforming a sector that represents one-sixth of the U.S. economy and determines life or death for millions of people is utterly craven and irresponsible

No expert testimony. No public hearings. Not even a public draft of what’s being considered, let alone an independent analysis.

This is how Republicans are going to determine how Americans get their health care? A 20-hour free-for-all in which most Americans aren’t even sure what plan the Senate is debating — the House bill or some new version of the Senate bill, which, by the way, several GOP senators have said they won’t support?

Republicans have had seven years to come up with an alternative, and they aren’t even close to something they can agree on.

As usual, President Trump’s remarks were wholly disconnected from reality: “I want to congratulate the American people, because we’re going to give you great health care.”

Really? Is this the version that takes away health insurance from 30 million people, or just 20 million?

Republicans’ attempts to “repeal and replace” Obamacare have nothing to do with improving health care in the United States.

Every plan presented has been designed to take away coverage for millions of Americans and send premiums soaring.

The GOP’s intent is, and always has been, to take the money that Obamacare has spent improving the health care of millions of low-income Americans and instead give it to the wealthy in the form of massive tax cuts.

If it were otherwise, Republicans would be touting health benefits their so-called improved plans provide. What do you hear about that? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Obamacare slowed the rate of health care spending, emphasized preventive care, added millions of Americans to the ranks of the insured, allowed parents to add their children to their insurance plans until they turned 26 and — this may have been the most welcome — prevented insurers from denying insurance to people with preexisting conditions.

President Obama’s legislation passed after a year of debate involving health care experts, medical professionals and Republicans.

What Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are presenting is a farce, badly acted at that.

They should be ashamed.