Republicans introduced a bill in 1993…
With an individual mandate;
Creating purchasing pools;
With standardized benefits;
Vouchers for the poor to buy insurance;
A ban on denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition.
The bill was introduced by eleven Republican Senators (Orin Hatch and Bob Dole among them).
Democrats passed and signed essentially the same bill in 2010 and called it ACA, since then referred to as ObamaCare. It left the private for-profit insurance market in place and used tax payer money to subsidize the corporations. And it left millions without coverage, to boot.
For seven years, Republicans screamed “Repeal”.
Now, Republicans want to gut the bill they backed in 1993 and screamed about since 2010 and block grant federal money, then kill the thing outright. Democrats can do nothing.
Medicare-for-All is the answer, but neither a majority of Democrats nor any Republicans support Medicare-for-All.
Why doesn’t either party put health care for the American people first?
More Sources on Republicans’ 1993 “ObamaCare” bill:
http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2013/nov/15/ellen-qualls/aca-gop-health-care-plan-1993/
Excellent points. But I wish there were a rational answer to the question raised, “Why doesn’t either party put health care for the American people first?”. The derogation of responsibility by Republicans and Democrats alike in refusing to create a workable, affordable solution to the urgent heath care needs of this country is enough to make one . . . well, sick.