In a recent guest column for The Wall Street Journal, former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal writes that the GOP should figure out what they’re trying to accomplish before taking the next steps in the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Watching the recent debate, one could be forgiven for thinking that simply getting a deal done was the goal,” Jindal writes. “The now-withdrawn American Health Care Act of 2017 was seemingly written by House leaders with the sole purpose of winning over the most recalcitrant Republican senator. The real goal must be something larger, more inspiring and more important than merely getting to a signing ceremony.”
Instead of tweaking Obamacare, the GOP should switch directions and try a completely different approach, Jindal says, hailing the late Sen. Ted Kennedy as an example of a lawmaker who consistently worked toward a well-defined goal.
Kennedy, Jindal notes, helped create the State Children’s Health Insurance Program when Newt Gingrich was House speaker, and inspired the Affordable Care Act when Nancy Pelosi had the gavel.
“Republicans must be similarly single-minded about taking control of the health-care system from bureaucrats and returning power to patients and doctors,” he writes. “In the current debate, Republicans must choose between two related goals—lowering costs and increasing coverage. Which will we prioritize?”
Read the full Wall Street Journal column. A subscription maybe required.
