WhatFinger


Regardless of what you've heard to the contrary.

Speaker Ryan: ObamaCare repeal is happening this year and that's that



I know some of you think he's a sellout RINO apostate, although I'm really not sure why, but this is the guy in charge of the process so I thought I'd give it to you from the horse's mouth. Based on some comments the president made the other night, some people were getting the impression that it might take two years to get ObamaCare repealed. That is not the plan. At all. Skip to around 2:00 of the video below to hear Ryan address the question:
Here's where the confusion seems to have originated: Trump was talking about the length of time for implementation of the new law. And while I know some of you don't want to hear this, some sort of transition period is going to be necessary to deal with people who came to depend on subsidized ObamaCare policies. Not only do you have to design a law that permits for options they can access in the private market, you have to design some sort of rules for how the move from the one to the other, and what happens during the transition. That's what's so head-shaking about people who scream repeal and don't replace, as if any legislation concerning health care is by definition socialized medicine. The world before ObamaCare is gone. We can't go back to it. ObamaCare destroyed it. It also wasn't that good anyway. The Republican replacement has to not only get rid of ObamaCare, but also clean up the mess ObamaCare caused. That will take time to design and time to implement. But as I reported yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been working on advancing bills while the country has been freaking out about immigration, Betsy DeVos and Lady Gaga. Just because you don't hear about it every day doesn't mean nothing's happening.

Support Canada Free Press


And Ryan's commitment to finish the bill this year is easy to accept on its face. For one thing, Congress is typically much less interested in passing controversial legislation during election years, so they of all people have an incentive to get it done during 2017. And because implementation will take time, Republicans will want to give the new law time to work out any kinks before we start getting into another presidential election cycle. As we wait through this process, I would offer a suggestion: Don't pay too much attention to stories you hear about Republican messaging on the issue, or other such peripheral things. A lot of conservatives were freaking out this week because a few Republicans used the word "repair" instead of "repeal" in reference to ObamaCare. They thought the GOP was backing off repeal and was testing out a change in language to see how the public would react. I've heard nothing of substance to suggest that's true. And the word "repair" is accurate even if you repeal it, because ObamaCare caused a lot of damage and that damage has to be repaired. So chill. Everything we know suggests repeal and replace will happen, and happen this year. I understand the tendency to expect Republicans to wimp out and let you down, but there is no substantive indication that's about to happen in this case. The better use of your time is to watch the form the replacement is going to take, because that's where the real news is going to be made.


View Comments

Dan Calabrese -- Bio and Archives

Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain

Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.


Sponsored