If anyone thought that former President Barack Obama would act like George W. Bush by retiring gracefully and not criticizing the current administration, they were wrong.
Obama wrote a long Facebook post on Thursday defending his signature piece of legislation, Obamacare, from being repealed by the Senate Republicans. Many liberals have noted that President Trump has been slowly overturning many of his predecessor’s rules on issues like banking, the environment, and immigration. However, the Affordable Care Act has always been the main goal for the GOP.
With the Senate bill released, Obama asked his supporters to oppose the “mean” legislation and fight to protect his legacy.
“I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure what’s really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did,” Obama wrote in his post. “We didn’t fight for the Affordable Care Act for more than a year in the public square for any personal or political gain – we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course.”
Obama acknowledged, however, that his healthcare bill had its flaws and wanted to improve, though he did not say how or even reference a reform.
“…the Affordable Care Act represented a significant step forward for America, it was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts – and that if Republicans could put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it.”
“The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It’s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America,” he continued. “It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again.”
According to CNN‘s review of the Senate health care bill, pre-existing conditions must be protected so it’s likely Obama is passing along fake news as a scare tactic to his base. Furthermore, the Senate is likely to reconsider other portions of the bill given that four conservative members of the GOP refuse to vote for it in its current form, so the final agreement has yet to be drafted.
It’s possible that had a few Democrats come to the table and offered Republicans some help on the reforms, it could be the bipartisan moment that Obama’s talked about.
