Now is the time for the Democrats in Congress to show that they are the party that’s serious about governing.
Now is the time to write a bill that would fix some of the problems with the Affordable Care Act that are hurting people. The easiest way to address the problem of high deductibles and copays is a public option, which also adds choice to the exchanges that private insurers are leaving. The public option would be administered through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where structures are already in place that could do so. It would be a not-for-profit, low cost option anyone could buy into.
I’m not an expert on policy and law, and I’m not entirely sure who the people are who could not get coverage through the ACA, but the bill could figure out a way to cover more people. Private insurers could continue to offer programs on the exchanges or not,
I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs of such a bill, but it could be offered (with a lot of publicity) as a willingness to work towards fixing the problems with Obamacare. It seems the biggest problem has already been removed — Obama is no longer president.
Such a move would say, we hear that there are problems, and the original bill was always meant as a first step. We are willing to work with Republicans who don’t just want to end the ACA taxes and who want to make insurance for their constituents and all Americans more affordable.
Tom Price will go ballistic, as will many in Congress, but then it will be clear who is on the side of the people. Hell, Trump might even go for it, if he’s still around.