Repeal ACA? Show me something better

In baseball, you wouldn’t pull the starting pitcher until the reliever is warmed up and ready to play. You probably wouldn’t throw away an old wallet until you had a new one to replace it. And you probably wouldn’t leave your cell phone provider until you choose a different one. Why then should we abandon the Affordable Care Act without replacing it with a better replacement? We shouldn’t do that, but that doesn’t stop some politicians from calling for the repeal of the ACA without a plan in place to better replace it. That’s what we heard in the debate from Donald Trump, who criticized the Affordable Care Act but when pressed about what he would offer instead, could only say he had an idea of ​​a plan. Republicans who deride Obamacare have had years to find a replacement that would be better for Americans, but haven’t succeeded. Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde is the latest to call for a full repeal of the ACA, even in the absence of another plan. He intensified his criticism and called for the law to be completely repealed. Hovde calls the law allowing young people to stay on their family’s health insurance until age 26 “a stupid idea” that makes Wisconsinites lazy. And he wants the country’s health insurance companies to be able to reduce coverage for people with pre-existing conditions or charge significantly more. Our elected officials should be working to improve our healthcare system, but repealing the ACA without another plan in the bullpen is not a game-winning strategy.