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September 26, 2017 at 03:34 PM
It’s possible for a bad political process to yield a good result. There’s even a saying for it — the one comparing making laws to making sausages. In the case of the latest Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, however, the process and substance have both been inexcusably reckless. Now that Republican senators’ last-gasp effort appears to be on life support, it’s time to go back to the drawing board — and to let Democrats into the process.
Monday brought the sole scheduled public hearing on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill in the Senate, which means Congress is applying roughly the same level of care and scrutiny to revolutionizing the health care system as it generally brings to renaming a post office.
(Related: Susan Collins Comes Out Against Graham-Cassidy Bill)
Republican leaders want to pass a bill before Saturday, when the current fiscal year expires — and with it, authority for a reconciliation process enabling them to avoid a Democratic filibuster. They have spent the past week frantically tinkering with the draft in hopes of winning 50 votes, which seems increasingly unlikely after a third Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, vowed to vote against the bill — for good reasons.
Graham-Cassidy would eliminate many consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act, including requirements that insurance plans cover a list of essential benefits and preventive services. It appears to leave patients with pre-existing conditions vulnerable to drastic increases in the cost of their insurance. It would cut tens of billions in federal funding in the coming decade, possibly followed by hundreds of billions in cuts after 10 years. It would dispense that reduced amount in the form of block grants to states, which would be able to spend those funds in ways that don’t necessarily benefit patients.
The proposal is opposed by almost every group with a stake in American health care: hospitals, insurers, doctors, nurses, and — most importantly — patients. Meanwhile, most health care economists are either appalled, baffled or both. The Congressional Budget Office hasn’t had time to fully analyze the bill and estimate its fiscal impact, but on Monday the CBO said it would result in loss of insurance for “millions.”
