Senate Republicans' efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act collapsed suddenly this week after seven years of criticism. The defection of several moderates signaled the end. Saying it's wrong to roll back the law before enacting a good replacement plan, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito tweeted, "I did not come to Washington to hurt people."
So what now? Despite President Donald Trump's campaign promise of "insurance for everybody," he said Tuesday his new plan is to "let Obamacare fail, and then the Democrats are going to come to us."
But if the law fails, that will be terrible for too many Americans. While the ACA has worked out fairly well in some states, it is struggling badly in the one-third of U.S. counties (serving one-fifth of Obamacare enrollees) that have only one company providing coverage options on health insurance exchanges. Even though exchange policies often have high premiums and deductibles, the ACA has left many insurers struggling to break even.
Humana announced in February that it would stop participating in all state exchanges next year, leaving 11 state markets. Other insurers may follow suit.
This is why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said last week that if Obamacare could not be replaced, it must be fixed.
McConnell should accept the offer of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to have bipartisan talks on shoring up the ACA. The Trump administration, which has broad discretion in enforcing the law, should also act. Americans need Congress and the president to rise to the occasion.