An Open Letter To The United States Senate Regarding The Graham-Cassidy Bill.
Please Return To Normal Order.
The pattern continues. Once again an all male Republican team behind closed doors hastily drafts a healthcare reform bill and then attempts to rush it to a vote. They try to railroad the bill through without proper review, without proper debate, without even full CBO scoring. Most importantly, it is without an opportunity for the American public to review the proposed legislation, consider it, and communicate to their elected representatives how they feel about it.
Healthcare is 1/6th American economy. Sweeping legislation affecting every citizen must be systematically prepared and considered, and not rushed. Whatever is done must be drafted carefully with input from the industry, from healthcare professionals, and from the public. It should be vetted through the through the committee process. Amendments should be considered from all sides and given fair hearing and debate. So Senators are fully informed the bill should be completely scored by the CBO. The process of our elected representatives being informed also includes allowing the American people the opportunity to review the legsilation and provide feedback to those elected representatives.
Yet another bill using the same haphazard and rushed process is wrong. It’s not how major legislation so deeply affecting the American people should be done. This effort to once again railroad healthcare legislation is nothing short of an effort to end run the American people. If the Republicans do it again the American people should punish them strongly at the next election.
If the Graham/Cassidy bill is good legislation it will pass the test of the normal legislative process. If it can’t pass that test it does not deserve to be law. The Republicans are treating healthcare reform like a football game, where the object is to win by beating the other team called Obamacare. It’s not a football game, it’s life, death and prosperity for millions of Americans. Please treat it that way.
Republican Senator John McCain has called for the Senate to return to “normal order” in regards to healthcare legislation. He is right and the Senate leadership is wrong.
