Gardner probably won’t, but he should oppose Graham-Cassidy

“Gardner ‘trying to get’ more information,” Sept. 21 news story.

Sen. Cory Gardner’s current newsletter appeared in my email box and included this statement:

“I will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion and fight for market reforms that will increase choices, lower costs, and result in affordable health insurance for Coloradans.” If Gardner is serious about that statement, he cannot support the GOP’s Graham-Cassidy bill.

This partisan bill is an ACA-total-repeal bill that takes insurance away from millions of Americans — including hundreds of thousands of Coloradans.

Maybe the “choice” is to once again be uninsured. Maybe it “lowers costs” by people not being able to see a doctor since they don’t have insurance. It is hardly “affordable” because pre-existing conditions are not guaranteed to be completely covered and insurers can charge more for treating sick people. What is health insurance for anyway?

It also destroys Colorado’s Medicaid expansion. What possible good does this bill do for Colorado?

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Gardner is not stupid. He’s a lawyer. And he served in the Colorado state House before going to Washington D.C. He’s very conservative, however, strictly party line and out of step with his constituents, who are more middle-of-theroad.

Coloradans want to keep our health care. We know Obamacare isn’t perfect, but it’s better than what we had, millions more of us have coverage, and it can be made better. What Sen. Mitch McConnell wants to jam down our throats with no hearings is a national travesty. It’s much worse for a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rightsburdened Colorado, and Gardner knows it.

He said he wants a bipartisan bill. His staff says he has no position yet. Call him. Time for some courage. Send letters of 150 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 800, Denver, CO, 80202. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1331.