After a two-month battle on Capitol Hill, the Republican replacement for Obamacare didn’t pass – and that’s a good thing.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan put forth his plan to replace Obamacare last month to no avail. There were both Democrats and Republicans who opposed the plan backed by President Donald Trump, titled the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Although progressives and pro-liberty conservatives opposed the health care reform for different reasons, the opposition to Ryancare, as the legislation was coined, quickly became strong enough to stop the bill.
Despite Republicans controlling the majority of Congress, they weren’t able to unify behind a free market reform as soon as they had hoped.
The House Freedom Caucus opposed the AHCA because of its similarity to Obamacare. Members of the House Freedom Caucus lambasted the legislation as a Republican entitlement program that wasn’t a true free market solution.
Republican dissatisfaction with the legislation only strengthened the Democratic opposition, ultimately leading to the bill’s demise.
Democrats were emboldened to support universal health care, however, they did not put forth their own specific reforms. Although some in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party have called for a single payer healthcare system, it was clear that their main factor in unification was opposition to the Republican plan.
But the people still want a free market solution.
Pro-liberty groups such as Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks called on their networks to demand a no vote on the AHCA, and are in part credited for killing the bill.
Republicans have pushed campaigns on a repeal of Obamacare for years, having practically made “repeal and replace” the party slogan. Part of the libertarian and conservative narrative has been that the government shouldn’t be picking “winners and losers” in the healthcare industry, as critics of Obamacare and now Ryancare illustrate.
However, not all Republicans agree.
Some in the more moderate wing of the conservative movement were behind the AHCA, and even demanded that their colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus abandon their free market principles and support the legislation.
The party division on the right opened the floodgates of criticism for Democrats, who capitalized on the Republican division in an effort to prevent a full repeal of Obamacare.
Despite the drama in Washington, Americans are still feeling the financial repercussions of Obamacare.
MORE STORIES ON CAPITALISM.COM:
• Rep. Thomas Massie Votes ‘Hell No’ on Speaker Ryan’s American Health Care Act
• Why Competitive, Transparent Pricing Matters in Affordable Healthcare
• We Can Guarantee Health Care As A Right Through Encouraging Free Trade
