Now that they have found it is virtually impossible to create a replacement of the Affordable Care Act that doesn’t either leave millions uninsured or guarantees coverage of preexisting conditions, Republicans are ready to use outright deception to get the AHCA passed.
To this end, Republicans are committed to hiding their legislation behind closed doors, blocking even Democratic Senators from gaining access to a single page. The situation has grown so absurd that Senator Claire McCaskill was forced to call Republicans out about it last week, accusing them of siding with partisanship against the American people.
Ever since the second version of the disastrous AHCA was soundly rejected by the American people, Republicans have been busy working on the third version of the bill, hoping that they can somehow please their donors while not causing outright revolt from the American people. The only way to do that, it would seem, is to keep the language of the bill from being seen by anyone who isn’t a Republican senator.
Now, Republicans are ready to send the latest version of the legislation off to the Congressional Budget Office where it will be given its third CBO score without it having been seen by any non-Republican eyes. This score, a litmus test to determine how viable the plan actually is, will be America’s first indication about what the latest legislation might contain.
But if Republicans had their way, the regular American and their Democratic elected officials wouldn’t know the CBO score either. Unfortunately for their scheming ways, the CBO is a necessary step on the road to turning this secretive legislation into law.
Once the CBO is in, Republicans will attempt to hold a vote on the legislation without even one having allowed the public to read the bill. If they can, they will pass it without that same knowledge. Regarding partisanship and “winning” as their only goal, they will subject the public to a health care bill which affects millions without ever having given them a chance to weigh in.
It’s a disgusting abuse of power and something that we must fight back on at every level. Call your Senator today to tell them that you do not support the passage of the AHCA, especially if you can’t read the bill in its entirety before it is voted on.
