New day, same plan
The new Republican healthcare proposal fails to meet any premise that healthcare is a basic human right.
Our great country was built on the belief that we have an investment in the well-being of our fellow citizens, that we are stronger when we share a common purpose. That’s why our brave fighting men and women have gone off to war; why we provide publicly fund education; and why we surely have an interest in ensuring that all Americans get the healthcare they need.
The latest plan is merely the old plan with some nips and tucks. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the previous plan would have stripped healthcare coverage from 22 million Americans who now have it. The new plan throws crumbs at various interest groups and politicians, but it’s not very different.
If the Republicans can’t muster the compassion to provide for their fellow citizens, perhaps they can muster some enlightened self-interest. Americans are speaking loud and clear and, in political terms, the 2018 mid-term elections are right around the corner.
Martin W.G. King,
Boca Raton
This story was originally published July 15, 2017 at 10:15 PM with the headline "New day, same plan."