Remember when Donald Trump promised to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something more effective and more affordable? Yeah, we never expected that to happen. But we also didn’t expect the Republican-led Congress’ response to the ACA to be so terrible — and as we gather, neither did Trump.
The latest episode of Last Week Tonight delved into the horrendous health care bill, known as the American Health Care Act, or Trumpcare, depending on who you ask.
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As John Oliver correctly observed, nobody really likes this bill. Democrats and a few Republicans take issue with its reverse Robin Hood characteristics. Hardcore conservatives refer to it as Obamacare Light. Even its champion, Paul Ryan, struggles to demonstrate any real enthusiasm.
Most notable, however, is how reluctant Trump is to embrace what he probably hoped would be one of the crowning achievements of his first few months in office. This was evident when he prefaced all talk of the bill by claiming that nobody could possibly know how complicated health care is. According to Oliver, this assertion is akin to claiming that nobody could possibly know that King Tut is already dead.
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Trump has already indicated that he doesn’t want the AHCA referred to as Trumpcare. If we were talking about anybody else, something like modesty could be to blame, but let’s be real — this is the guy who loves to have his name on everything. If the likes of Trump is worried about having his name attached to something, you know it’s bad.
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Trump’s biggest beef with the AHCA probably has something to do with its lack of health care options crossing state lines. But did you know that there’s a clear reason why this tenet of the Trump campaign is missing from the bill?
As Oliver explained, there’s no way for Republicans to pass the AHCA unless it’s presented as a strictly budgetary program. Include anything else, and it would need 60 votes to pass. As is, only 51 votes are necessary.
Like nearly everything about the Trump presidency and current Republican Congress, this is all an effort of the powers that be to get their way, regardless of the consequences or the quality of the product.
What do you think of the AHCA? Comment and share your opinion below.
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