Trump Declares Obamacare Dead

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

19 March 17

ow many Americans will die as a result of Trump's pronouncement? The other question is how many Republicans’ careers in Congress will die with Obamacare? I hope the answer to the latter is many.

I was listening to a GOP congressman the other day talking about his $12,000 deductible. I am not sure what state he was buying insurance in, but if he is dumb enough to choose a plan with a $12,000 deductible, then he shouldn't be spending our money in Congress.

Let us hope this is another one of Donald Trump's lies. He did tell us that more people attended his inauguration than any other. He did say that Obama was listening to his phone calls (Of course the NSA was – they listen to everyone.). Then there are the millions of illegal votes, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried about what the Donald says.

I am worried, though, that Obamacare will be repealed without an adequate replacement. The GOP says Obamacare is redistribution of wealth from the wealthy to the poor. They want the money back. They want to take from the poor and give it back to the rich.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing Obamacare will save the government over 300 billion dollars. Of course it does. The savings all come on the backs of the poor. Most of the savings will come from ending the expanded support from the federal government to states for Medicaid expansion. The rest of the savings will come from ending subsidies to help individuals purchase insurance. So the cuts are taking support away from the people who need it to afford insurance.

Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), after getting grilled at town hall meetings in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, told reporters that she and a number of her colleagues are undecided on the Republican bill to replace Obamacare. Ernst said she was concerned that people who need the assistance would fall through the cracks. While that sounds promising, she also said that Obamacare was not sustainable.

Ernst's comments do show that there is a chance to kill the repeal and replacement bill that is scheduled for a vote in the House on Thursday. If Joni Ernst has concerns, then it is possible to flip three Republican senators.

GOP senators are now weighing the political cost of voting for or against the legislation. A vote against repeal will be seen as a betrayal by my many who voted for them. A vote to repeal Obamacare might just hurt more of their constituents than they lose if they vote against repeal. My guess is the safe route is to punt. Vote against this effort while vowing to repeal Obamacare when an adequate replacement bill is presented. This isn't the bill that kills Obamacare without killing the careers of many Republican lawmakers.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.

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