EDITORIAL: Still more work to do for GOP on health care

June 29--Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday delayed a vote on the GOP health care bill until after the Fourth of July break.

Really, McConnell had to do it. The Republican votes to pass the bill just didn't appear to be there. McConnell said he wanted to make changes to the bill, which is good because even members of his own party said changes were needed.

Make no mistake, Republicans are right to want to repeal and replace Obamacare, which has increased the financial burden on most middle-income Americans since its inception. Oh, and the health care most Americans now receive for their ever-increasing premium dollars isn't even as good as their insurance plans were before.

We hope the Senate will take its time and make sure to put together a better bill than the Republicans in the House of Representatives did. There is certainly no need to rush things. Put a better bill together, release it to the public to read before it is voted on and welcome comments from all. That's how you get a bill the majority of Americans will support. It's also how you get a bill all Republicans -- and maybe even a few Democrats -- will support.

It's a simple formula, and transparency should be part of it.

The Democrats didn't read Obamacare before they voted to support it. There's no need for Republicans to follow their bad lead on its replacement.

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