Letter: Instead of repeal, just fix it

It’s too bad Republicans are wedded to their mantra of “repeal and replace” when it comes to the Affordable Care Act.

They seem to believe that by taking this approach they can deny President Barack Obama any legacy of assuring healthcare for millions of uninsured Americans, in addition to the act’s improvements to the health insurance coverage for all citizens of this country.

Republicans are now willing to keep the most popular features of the ACA, such as allowing young people to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26 and not allowing insurers to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions such as diabetes.

Instead of wasting so much energy trying to figure out the timing of a “repeal and replace” approach, just fix what’s wrong with ACA. It’s too late to keep Obama from receiving any credit for improving our nation’s health insurance coverage. Whatever Republicans come up with, we will know it as the Republican version of Obamacare.

This story was originally published January 15, 2017 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Letter: Instead of repeal, just fix it."