Opinion: Save Obamacare by renaming it ‘Making America’s Healthcare Great Again Act’

To the editor: Republicans in Congress and President-elect Donald Trump are having trouble figuring out how to repeal and replace Obamacare without depriving the public of the law’s popular features — for example, the elimination of lifetime caps on coverage and the prohibition on denying insurance coverage based on preexisting conditions. (“Republicans finally have the power to repeal Obamacare, but they’re still not sure how,” Jan. 3)

There is an easy solution. Congress should pass the following bill: “Section 1(a) ‘Short Title’ of Public Law 111-148 (Obamacare) is hereby repealed, striking the words, ‘This Act may be cited as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’ and replaced by the words ‘This Act may be cited as the Making America’s Healthcare Great Again Act of 2017.’”

Problem solved. Obamacare will be dead, and America’s healthcare will be great again. On to the next issue.

Alex Wiles, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Out of deference to the 30 million people at risk, perhaps the headline should have read that Republicans are “not sure why” they will repeal Obamacare.

Of course, the answer is that the law is working. And it should be self-evident that if there’s one thing the GOP can’t abide, it’s successful government programs. Once the Affordable Care Act is history, look for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to vanish next.

No one campaigns on ruining millions of people’s lives; they just govern that way.

Ken Greenberg, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Some supporters of Obamacare tellingly say the government now has the burden of providing for affordable healthcare and that we’re pretty much stuck with it. That sounds pretty lousy to me.

My question is why do we insist on adding burdens to a system that was not designed to provide these things? Our government was set up primarily to protect the country from foreign invasion and individuals from violence. I really don’t know how else to say it.

Being an engineer, I can tell you if continually pushed this way, it’s only a matter of time before the system fails.

Arthur G. Saginian, Santa Clarita

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