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Waiting for perfect bill on health care won’t work

It is a measure of the mixed feelings many in the House of Representatives had about a proposal to repeal and replace the Obamacare insurance fiasco that the bill passed Thursday only by the thin margin of 217-213. No Democrats voted for it. Twenty Republicans joined them.

Waiting for the perfect health insurance proposal is not an option, however. Obviously, ideological differences mean there never will be unanimity over the issue on Capitol Hill. That means there will be controversy surrounding any plan to replace Obamacare.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans have found it was not the panacea they were promised when the law, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act, was enacted in 2010.

Premiums for insurance offered through Obamacare exchanges are headed through the stratosphere in many areas, with double-digit increases becoming an annual thing.

Obamacare insurance is affordable for many people only if they select policies with enormous, ruinous deductibles.

In about 1,000 counties throughout the nation, there are no options because only one company offers Obamacare insurance there.

Representatives who voted in favor of the bill Thursday understand something drastic has to be done about Obamacare. Many view their proposal as only a starting point to craft something better.

Now, of course, senators must begin the heavy lifting of working the bugs out of the House bill. They should show as much courage in doing that as the House reformers did on Thursday.

editorial@tribtoday.com

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