A Modest Proposal on Healthcare and the ACA

A Modest Proposal on Healthcare and the ACA
by Wayne D. King

With the country so deeply divided over the future of the affordable care act it would make sense for the congress to treat changes to the Healthcare system in a way that includes the American people in the process. Let the Republicans bring forward plans for repeal and replacement while Democrats bring forward plans for fixing the ACA during the next 18 months and then hold off on taking action until after in the mid-term elections, effectively making the election a referendum on a concrete approach.

This would be a way for Republicans to sidestep the firestorm sure to be brought on by creation of a proposal likely to take Healthcare away from a sizeable portion of the 20 million people who have received healthcare through the ACA.

It would be also be a way for the President to make a real effort to bring people together in the wake of a divided election.

For those who say that the last election was about this already it is fair to say that Donald Trump won the election in the Electoral college but lost the popular vote by nearly 5% which represents a clear vote for the ACA by the American people as a whole.

Gerrymandering has made it almost impossible for the Democrats to take back the House of Representatives, so the Republicans would be at a distinct advantage in the next election. However, an election in which the ACA is a focal point would allow candidates to declare support for either plan for fixing the healthcare system, Republicans could support the Democrats proposal and Democrats the Republican proposal creating a scenario in which the next Congress would take action based on the issue rather than party loyalty. This would go a long way toward diminishing the partisanship that has poisoned our political process.

I do not delude myself in thinking that this approach would be easy. However, It would not require any change in law or the constitution. It would be possible if elected officials of good will join together and chances are it would result in a significant increase in the number of Americans actively participating in a mid-term election.

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