A few days ago, I received another taxpayer-funded, glossy propaganda letter from Jim Sensenbrenner. As so many other times over the last seven years, our Congressman promised to repeal healthcare for thousands of his constituents.
Sensenbrenner has been an enemy of healthcare for his constituents since the beginning. Just last May, he penned an opinion piece in the Journal Sentinel called "The Bitter Fruits of Obamacare." At a town-hall several years ago, a friend of ours tried to ask him a question, saying,"You've voted over 50 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act and...". Sensenbrenner immediately interrupted, blurting out, "And I would vote another 50 times to repeal it !"
I do not call Sensenbrenner's planned actions "repealing Obamacare" or even "repealing the Affordable Care Act". I prefer "repealing heathcare". Without a comparable and coherent plan to replace current law, the Republican Congress, including Sensenbrenner, will indeed repeal healthcare for millions of Americans.
Sensenbrenner's taxpayer-funded website lists no fewer than 29 anti-healthcare press releases and opinion pieces from his taxpayer-funded office. He has called the legislation that has greatly lowered the uninsured rate in his district a "disaster", "unconstitutional", "bad tasting medicine", and a "train-wreck".
With the ascension of popular-vote loser, Donald Trump to the Presidency, Congressional Republicans like Sensenbrenner have been given the opportunity they have been salivating over for years. They will be able to end healthcare for millions of Americans. This includes repealing healthcare for 25,900 of Ol' Jim's very own constituents who buy their insurance over the Exchange.
Based on estimates of about 85% of Exchange enrollees being eligible for Premium Tax Credits, Jim Sensenbrenner, by his partisan vote for Repeal, will raise taxes on over 22,000 of his District 5 constituents. I know. I am one of them. Based on my 2014 & 2015 returns, my own Federal taxes will be increased by over $10,700 per year.
Often bragging about never raising taxes, Sensenbrenner will vote to eliminate the Premium Tax Credits for more than 190,000 Wisconsin residents. He will burden low and middle-income residents of our state with the loss of $759,000,000/year in Premium Tax Credits.
Republicans are committed to ending the Affordable Care Act. They are committed to ending healthcare for millions of Americans. This bizarre one-track focus is one of the few unifying issues for today's GOP. Ending the program is easy. It will be a promise kept.
However, with all of their Replacement talk, Republicans take us for fools. There is little chance that a comprehensive and meaningful Replacement healthcare plan can be passed by the GOP alone. With 218 votes needed for anything to pass the House, Republicans can only afford to lose 23 of their members. There is no way that so large a group can be convinced to pass any rational healthcare plan. After all, many of the most rabid of GOP politicians believe that the government should be not be involved in healthcare at all.
The odds that Senate Republicans will pass substantive new health reform is even lower. Even if Majority Leader McConnell "goes nuclear" and overturns the 60-vote filibuster threshold, he has only a very slim majority. At 52-48, Republicans can only lose three votes in passing any post-nuclear bill. And based on the political rancor of the last eight years, they will get no help from Democrats.
Repeal will happen. I would place money on it. However, no meaningful Replacement is in sight. But, maybe I am worried over nothing. After all, President-elect Trump has variously promised, a "great" plan, a "terrific" plan, and an "unbelievable" plan. Paul Ryan promised us that Repeal will "leave no one worse off". Should we take them at their word? Probably not.
The way I see it, there will be a definite Repeal, but no substantive Replacement. There will be a large increase in the number of uninsured Americans. There will be a large increase in the number of people who cannot buy insurance at any price. There will be a large tax increase for those of us who count on tax credits to defray the cost of insurance. District 5 voters will have Jim Sensenbrenner to thank.
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