Former House Speaker John Boehner, an early supporter of President Trump, told a healthcare conference that it’s just “happy talk” to say Republicans will repeal Obamacare, let alone replace it. Politico reports:
“[Congressional Republicans are] going to fix Obamacare — I shouldn’t call it repeal-and-replace, because it’s not going to happen,” he said… “Republicans never ever agree on healthcare… Most of the framework of the Affordable Care Act … that’s going to be there.”
Boehner’s remarks came at the HIMSS Annual Conference in Orlando, which draws tens of thousands of healthcare IT professionals and is wrapping up today. Remember that he now works at Squire Patton Boggs, a firm that did about $900,000 in healthcare-related lobbying last year and represents UnitedHealth.
To say these comments are unhelpful is one thing, but are they true?
I think you really have to give Congress a chance to fail in this respect before you can declare defeat. So far, the rumors and backbiting, as well as the inherent difficulty of unwinding a piece of legislation like Obamacare do seem to recommend pessimism. But the political consequences of leaving Obamacare mostly intact are potentially catastrophic enough that Republicans in Congress have every incentive to do their best.
