EDITORIAL: Now, let’s get serious on health care

Aug. 03--Don't think for a minute that the battle over health care in America is over. The big difference now is that there is every reason for the discussion to turn constructive, with progress being made on improving a system that is already doing what it is supposed to do: Bring affordable, accessible health care to more Americans, especially to those who have done without it for too long.

The defeat of Senate Republicans' last-ditch effort to advance a repeal the Affordable Care Act came on a single vote in the wee hours of Friday morning. There may be relief among those who fought the various Republican plans, but there is certainly no reason to gloat. That whisker-thin margin is a clear indication that Americans remain divided over how they want their health care system to work.

The deciding vote was cast by Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican, and so-called GOP "maverick," who ran against Barack Obama in 2008. Will the message he is sending be heard?

Upon his return to Congress after brain surgery that revealed an aggressive, life-threatening form of cancer, McCain scolded his colleagues for their partisan approach to health care reform. Though he shrouded his fateful vote in mystery until the last moment, it seemed that his personal situation might influence his decision. Would he be prepared to vote for legislation that would prevent millions of Americans from obtaining the health care he is able to receive?

The answer, provided in historic fashion, was "no."

So ended a seven-year detour in the effort to find common ground on perhaps the most politically divisive issue of our time. The saddest part of this is that Republicans were more determined to repeal Obamacare than they were to find a suitable replacement for it.

Republicans may well pay in the next election for breaking a key campaign promise, and it will be because they promised the wrong thing. From the beginning of the Obama administration, their goal was to obstruct whatever he would attempt to do rather than to promote an agenda of their own. Upon the administration's conclusion, even though Republicans then controlled Congress, their focus on dismantling the Obama legacy took precedence.

For the Republican leadership, given its extraordinary failure on health care, this needs to be a hard lesson learned.

The good news is that the last seven years has by no means been wasted. As many as 15 million more Americans have health care than did before the Affordable Care Act was implemented. The basic machinery of what can become a more equitable health insurance system is in place.

The twin objectives of reducing premiums while insuring more people may appear contradictory, but they need not be if Congress is finally ready to face reality and make tough decisions.

A commitment to insuring the greatest number of Americans must be established. Then, the greatest possible number of people must be called upon to insure themselves, especially young and healthy Americans. Even active 20-somethings can get sick or get hurt. This is how insurance works. Even the best, most careful drivers must buy auto insurance--not just to make it more affordable for everyone, but because they too might make a mistake and need help down the road.

In the short term, leadership will need to come from the top. If he is to make the best of this political setback, President Donald Trump must end his threats to let ACA collapse under its own weight and take positive action to bolster it. He needs to take Sen. McCain's advice to heart and challenge Congress to work together to find a solution that works for all Americans.

Providing the opportunity for comprehensive health insurance begins a positive cycle of helping more people provide for themselves and thereby contribute to the nation's overall economic health. It helps families financially crushed by a loved one's medical bills to look to the future with optimism rather than despair.

We can do this, so let's get started.

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