Their long, drawn out commentary published on 10/26 titled, "Cassidy, Perkins Differ On Health Law By Wide Margin" was the usual out of touch commentary on health care by journalists who love to quote the GOP's talking points on an issue they have a record of inaction and opposition on for the past 16 plus years. Trump and the GOP during the 2016 Presidential election promised health are if elected but failed to deliver even though they controlled both houses of congress in Trump's first two years in office. Bill Cassidy, a doctor played a part in the republican health care plan that went down to defeat in 2017 and could not even provide the 51 votes necessary for passage and the GOP controlled the majority vote.
Now, Ballard and Bridges in their article swallow the GOP tale of another health care law the republicans have ready sponsored by Cassidy again and Lindsay Graham. But they fail to question Cassidy why the plan has not been introduced yet, even though Trump said it would be introduced this past August but never was. They also failed to question Cassidy's lie that republicans have proposed at least three times replacement bills but were defeated by Democrats. In 2017 the republican controlled U.S. House passed their health care plan but the republican controlled Senate ignored that plan and introduced their own plan and it went down to defeat. And Trump and his party have done nothing outside of their rhetoric.
Ballard and Bridges in their commentary quoted Cassidy saying, "as a doctor, I do bring something unique to the conversation, and I think it shows in my legislation." Yeah, right, a self serving statement that his own party defeated and disowned in its vote in 2017. And this is the party who told the people during the 2016 election if they won they would pass a new health care plan to replace the ACA and it would be better. The Congressional Budget Office actually reviewed their plan and said it would remove millions from the insured rolls and out lined its deficiencies. So now after 4 years and no health care legislation or plan they now say wait until the next election and 4 years. What is the something unique that Cassidy brings to the conversation? And what is unique that Trump and his party can explain about their health care plan besides the rhetoric?
The bottom line in health care tells us Trump and his party have no record of any health care legislation as of this writing because they do not believe in the issue. The same is true to their opposition of Medicare that was passed in 1956 by a democratic controlled congress and democratic President. And when Trump and his party's health care legislation was defeated in 2017, former speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner, a republican said, the republican party was never interested in passing health care legislation. And that really says it all.
This commentary was written by Joe Lorio
