Ryan’s false optimism tonight does nothing for the cancer survivor who spoke about the ACA saving his life
During tonight’s town hall Speaker Paul Ryan continued his week of wildly unrealistic promises regarding repealing and replacing the ACA – even in the face of a former Republican and cancer survivor who is alive because of the ACA. The reality is that Ryan has not shown the American people a single feasible plan that would protect healthcare coverage for all who have it, lower costs, and ensure that people with pre-existing conditions – including asthma, diabetes, and cancer – are not prevented from getting insurance.
Further complicating the ACA repeal problem is that House Republican Leadership promised that no American will lose health insurance if the ACA is repealed and President-Elect Trump recently promised that repeal and replace will happen “essentially simultaneously”. Tonight, Ryan said this work will be completed within first 100 days.
These lofty promises delivered to the questioner tonight – without any plan to make good on it – further ensures that Republicans will own the political nightmare of repeal not only in the short term, but for years to come.
“The story delivered this evening to Speaker Paul Ryan by a former Republican and cancer survivor highlighted just how out of touch the Speaker really is. One by one, Ryan and House Republicans are boxing themselves in with promises they can’t keep on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law. “It’s clear that despite having years to plan, House Republicans do not have the slightest idea how to replace the ACA while maintaining coverage for every American, lowering costs, and protecting people with preexisting conditions. What’s also clear is Republicans’ slow but steady realization of how damaging this failure will be.”