President Obama didn't cave, he threw down the gauntlet. For all we've heard about "repeal and replace," all the talk has been about repeal. Repeal and replace sounds good, but Republicans don't have any ideas to replace the healthcare law. Whining is easy, fixing things less so. By offering to let states opt out in 2014, the President has challenged Republican governors to come up with a better alternative, he's exposed them for the visionless fear-mongerers they are.
It remains to be seen if the bill that will allow states to opt out early will even be passed. It's possible that Congressional Republicans will continue ranting about repealing the law and save Republican governors from looking bad by not passing the bill. But the challenge has been issued and the Republican "plan" on healthcare has been exposed.
I find it distressing that we are still having a debate on this, not because debate isn't healthy (it is), and not because the new law can't be improved (it can), but because one side is doing it's best to make America better and one side is talking about repeal and replace when repeal would make things worse and there is no plan for replace.
Maybe the president's challenge will force Republicans to offer ideas. Maybe it will force Republicans to actually come up with ideas. I hope so because I support the new law, but I admit it's not perfect. But as President Obama has said, returning to the way things were, when insurance companies were basically allowed to steal from people and when the rising cost of healthcare went unchecked because I'm paying for other people's treatment since healthcare is a right but health insurance is not.
I'm curious to see what will happen, but I'm hopeful that this will improve healthcare by forcing real debate on the issue.
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