Will Trump and Republicans Do What the Vast Majority of Americans Don’t Want?
Congressional Republicans are working on TrumpCare 2.0, a stripped-down version of the bill to repeal and “replace” ObamaCare they couldn’t even round up enough House members to attempt a vote last month. The new bill reportedly – no text has been released and once again Democrats are locked out of the process – gets rid of some of the most popular parts of the Affordable Care Act, like coverage for pre-existing conditions.
But a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Tuesday morning shows large majorities of Americans want the opposite of what Republicans are proposing.
Six out of 10 Americans (61%) want Congress to keep ObamaCare and improve it. Just 37% want “repeal and replace.”Â
Nearly eight out of 10 Americans (79%) say President Trump should be working to make ObamaCare work. Just 13% say he should do what’s he’s been threatening: try to make it fail.
Seven out of 10 Americans want any health care law to require coverage for pre-existing conditions. And 62% want nationwide standards for minimum coverage, including “preventive services, maternity and pediatric care, hospitalization and prescription drugs.”
Not surprisingly, Republican voters, as usual, don’t share the view of the majority.
76% of Republican voters, and 80% of Trump voters, want ObamaCare repealed and replaced. On the flip side, 88% of Democrats and 93% of Clinton voters want ObamaCare fixed or improved.
But even slim majorities of Republican and Trump voters want coverage for pre-existing conditions left in place.
The question becomes, will Trump and Congressional Republicans succeed in doing what the vast majority of the nation does not want, so they can fulfill their campaign promises and appease their base, and in the process strip health care from millions?
Or will they do the right thing?
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Photo by Caleb Smith; Office of the Speaker of the House
Image via Wikimedia