Seize the initiative!
Instead of watching with fingers crossed as the Republican drip-by-drip assault on ACA (the Affordable Care Act) threatens the healthcare of millions of Americans, progressives would be wise to go on the offensive. For months, they’ve been conceding that yes, there are problems with Obamacare, but they’ve provided little more than lip service to combat conservative efforts to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
As usual, we’ve allowed conservatives to control the narrative.
It’s time to seize the bullhorn.
Demand a bipartisan committee to identify weaknesses in the existing law – and be sure that among those weaknesses are those trumpeted conservatives, including the fact that some middle class Americans saw their premiums rise beyond their means when the legislation was enacted.
If conservatives in Congress attempt to block funding and/or appointment of such a body, look for corporate funding and draft Republicans and Democrats who are no longer in the political spotlight to come together for the good of the country.
(Former Senator Jack Danforth of Missouri and former presidential candidate Howard Dean come immediately to mind.)
Let these co-chairs enlist committee members with expertise, and begin the process of fortifying ACA by encouraging public meetings at the local level to identify problems that need fixing. Encourage grassroots discussions of the challenges and urge participants to propose solutions. Collect their feedback and examine the feasibility of the most popular and potentially rewarding suggestions.
Conduct cost analyses, identify funding, draft amendments that promise improvements in ACA, then give the amendments to sympathetic lawmakers to submit one at a time for consideration by the rest of Congress.
It might not eliminate every obstacle, but at very least it would provide time to deliberate and give taxpayers the sense that someone is making an effort on their behalf.
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