EDITORIAL: The GOP’s lack of an Obamacare replacement plan

Aug. 10--The inability of Republicans in Congress to pass a bill to replace Obamacare is causing President Donald Trump to lash out on Twitter.

This week, Trump's culprit is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

In one tweet, Trump wrote, "Senator Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?"

There's a lesson here for Trump, members of Congress and the voters. It's one that extends beyond whether or not the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) remains the law of the land. This is about where politics and policy meet.

When Barack Obama was president, a surefire way for Republicans to score political points was to rail against Obamacare, which was signed into law in 2010. Congressional Republicans could and did vote numerous times to repeal it. They were secure in the knowledge that if such a plan reached Obama's desk, he would strike it down. They were free to repeal without worrying about what came next.

By the 2016 election, Americans were used to the routine. "Repeal and replace" Obamacare was a surefire applause line for Republican audiences. Yet, the candidates never followed up on precisely what that replacement would look like. Politicians typically keep away from specific promises. We all remember Obama's "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it" promise, which Politifact rated as its Lie of the Year in 2013.

The downside is that the president and leaders in the House and Senate came into power this year without a specific plan to replace Obamacare. Congressional leaders have spent the past six months unsuccessfully lurching around in search of a replacement that can secure a majority of votes in the House and Senate.

McConnell certainly owns a share of that blame, but so does President Trump and other politicians who promised repeal and replace without a plan.

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