Posted by Michael Wonder on 05 Apr 2017
The art of repeal — Republicans’ health care reform muddle
5 April 2017 - Failure is a familiar outcome in U.S. health policy. Presidents have long struggled to translate their promises and aspirations into legislative victory.
Harry Truman’s national health insurance program never came close to becoming law. Richard Nixon’s universal coverage plan did not pass. Congress rejected Jimmy Carter’s hospital cost-containment bill. Bill Clinton’s campaign to enact universal insurance ended in political disaster.
Yet even judged against this dismal history, Republicans’ March 2017 efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were an epic failure. Less than 3 weeks after introducing the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Trump administration and House GOP leadership withdrew the bill from consideration without holding a vote in the full House of Representatives. Their inability to pass the legislation through the House — where Republicans hold a sizeable majority — constitutes a major defeat for President Donald Trump, who came to the White House touting his deal-making skills, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who pushed for a quick repeal bill and whose reform vision shaped its content.
