How Republicans Can Avoid Repeating Their Mistakes on Health Care

Congressional Republicans have kicked off the process of repealing Obamacare, but it’s unclear what the future of healthcare looks like. There’s absolutely no question Obamacare failed, and Democrats’ only alternative is to have more government involvement in healthcare.

Frustrated by the immediacy of the repeal process, Democrats have blasted Republicans for failing to produce a replacement plan. Fortunately, this is far from the truth: No less than four replacement plans were introduced in the previous Congress, and President Trump has indicated that his administration will release its own plan shortly.

In 2017, the Republicans have a chance not only to repair the Democrats’ mistakes of the last eight years, but their own mistakes from more than two decades ago.

Obamacare is a disaster: Rates have skyrocketed and are projected to rise another 25 percent within the coming year. Enrollment is significantly lower than the Congressional Budget Office originally estimated. Millions struggle to pay for basic medical services.

Although the blame for this terrible plan lies mostly at the door of liberal naiveté, some belongs to Republicans. When the Health Security Act, or Hillarycare, was proposed in 1993, Republicans mustered massive resistance. Politicians, pundits and academics all united in a successful campaign against Hillarycare’s expansion of the federal bureaucracy and its interference in people’s right to choose their own healthcare.