President Trump offers Medi-scare for all
In fact, as those who have been paying attention should have noticed by now, it is congressional Republicans who have been trying repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, popularly called Obamacare, despite their inability to agree on a replacement even among themselves -- at a time when bipartisan agreement on much of anything has fallen out of style.
But, as much as the Grand Old Party might like to duck and dodge the issue, voters who are facing rising health care costs and fading access to coverage haven't forgotten.
The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, for example, finds 81 percent of voters think health care is "most important" or "very important" for candidates to discuss. That's a virtual tie with the other leader on the list: "corruption in Washington." The swamp is not drained, Mr. President.
The poll also found that 4 in 10 Americans are "very worried" that they or a family member will lose coverage if the Supreme Court overturns the ACA's pre-existing conditions protections, a concern that crosses party lines even when our political leaders don't.
One of Obamacare's most popular -- and costly -- features is its coverage for the estimated 52 million people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, who have a pre-existing condition that would have led to a denial of insurance in the individual market before the ACA came along.
The "Medicare for All" plan was proposed last year by Vermont's independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose failed presidential campaign as a Democrat helped to reignite national interest in a "Medicare for all" system.
Trump correctly cites studies that estimate the "Medicare for all" idea would add $32.6 trillion in costs to the federal government over 10 years. But the president leaves out the Sanders argument that costs of the program would shrink over time, along with overall national health expenditures.
And lawmakers in both parties have other proposals that are worth debating, none of which call for the United States to imitate Venezuela.
But instead of engaging the debate honestly, President Trump turns to name-calling and falsehoods to spread Medi-scare scenarios of devilish Democrats. He's entitled to his opinion -- and I'm entitled to hold my nose while I read it.
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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.)
(c) 2018 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
