Republicans are having a
hard time at home this break, now that they have to answer for those 50-plus repeal votes of a law that seems to be working out pretty well right now. That's
captured perfectly by ThinkProgress, which brings us Florida Rep. Dennis Ross's latest town meeting.
CONSTITUENT: You’ve voted to repeal it approximately 50 times. Had zero votes on a replacement. So my question is, why do you think it is so good to deny seniors on Part D to make them pay more, about $4,000 more for medicine, and people with pre-existing conditions get denied insurance, have 26-year-olds have a harder time getting insurance because they can’t get on their parents’? Why do you think those are good ideas?
ROSS: I don’t. I think one of the most unfortunate things my party did the last three years was not offer an alternative to health care. I’ve always felt that way. I think it’s absurd when I tell people that this isn’t what you should do, but I don’t have an alternative for you.
Ross actually does have some health care legislation, not that it's going anywhere. He
wants more Health Savings Accounts, a solution only a banker could love. That's not going to answer any of his constituent's concerns about increasing access to coverage. Or about how repealing the Medicare Part D provisions would hike seniors' prescription costs. That's not a replacement plan.
Republicans still thank they can run—and win—on Obamacare repeal in 2014. If that's going to happen, they're going to have to come up with a much better answer than this.