Health care reform: Republicans have got to get their act together, Tommy Thompson says
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that a health care vote would be delayed until Sen. John McCain recovers from surgery. But concerns mount that centrist Republicans are still not on board with the proposed health care plan.
“They’re hearing from their governors, they’re hearing from their constituents, they’re hearing from the American medical society saying that they don’t like it, they’re waiting for the CBO score that probably will show that a lot of people are probably not going to be covered by health insurance,” Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told the FOX Business Network’s Dagen McDowell.
Despite some Republicans’ reservations about the Senate health care plan, Thompson says Americans voted them into office to get things done and need to start seeing some progress.
“Republicans have got to get their act together. America voted for Republicans for the House, the Senate and the presidency and that’s what Republicans have been saying for years, ‘give us control and watch us get things done.’ They’ve got to get things done and the health care is number one.
Though Thompson doesn’t believe there is a perfect solution to health care, he sees the Senate plan as an improvement over ObamaCare.
“Health care, there is no panacea, there is no perfect plan, so let’s put that right on the table right up front. ObamaCare is failing, the plan that’s in front of the Senate right now is not perfect, but it’s better than what the existing plan is.”
Thompson predicts that if the GOP doesn’t accomplish something on health care reform then Republicans could suffer losses in the 2018 midterm elections.
“Republicans right now are going to get hurt in the election in 2018 if they don’t show up [and] get the work done as they’ve promised.”