Wyo. senators ignore the will of the people

The numbers show that residents of the Cowboy State are opposed to the Senate measure to "replace" Obamacare. Yet John Barrasso and Mike Enzi continue to peddle it as a good thing. It's not.

"People ought to make that decision for themselves – not Democrats in Washington who voted for the Obamacare law." -- U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare

By D. Reed Eckhardt

So John Barrasso thinks Wyomingites should be able to decide for themselves about the federal health insurance program known as Obamacare. Then why are he and U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi,

Wyo.'s U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (L) hears Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

also R-Wyo., among those in the U.S. Senate who are trying to shove a proposed replacement for the program down the throats of their fellow Cowboy State residents?

There is not a single poll showing that the people of this state are in support of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, that Senate substitute. Indeed, according to a July 4 story in the New York Times, not a single state is backing the measure. That includes Wyoming, where the Times projects (based on a combination of national polling data) that only 34 percent of state residents are in favor of the plan. That compares with 46 percent opposed. (For the entire story, go to (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/upshot/gop-senators-might-not-realize-it-but-not-one-state-supports-the-ahca.html)

Both Wyoming senators, no doubt, would try to discredit those numbers, but other polling data support them. Such as:

-- Only 12 percent of Americans support the Senate plan, according to a poll in USA Today. Some 53 percent say Congress should either make Obamacare better or leave it alone.

-- An NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows that 55 percent of Americans disapprove of the Senate alternative, compared to just 17 percent in support. Even self-identified conservatives and tea party supporters -- those groups who rule the roost in Wyoming -- are opposed at 34 percent (31 percent in favor) and 40 percent (32 percent in support), respectively. And residents of the West come in at 58 percent against.

The reasons for this opposition are evident. The Senate proposal is about as mean-spirited as it gets, and that is not the Wyoming way.

For example, the Senate bill would toss 22 million people off of health care, including thousands of Cowboy State residents. More than 25,000 Wyomingites signed up for insurance through the Obamacare exchange this year, up 4 percent from the previous year. True, some are on it only because they are required be there, but others need the insurance. A friend of ours lost his job and had to turn to the marketplace to get insurance for his child, who has a serious illness. Because she is young, the cost is reasonable and the coverage is good, and he was able to get it despite her pre-existing condition.

The Senate plan also shreds the Medicaid program, which provides care for the nation's neediest people (including the 65 percent of its enrollees who hold jobs). Estimates show the Senate proposal would cut Medicaid funding by $772 billion over 10 years and knock 15 million people nationally off the rolls.

Those in danger include the 61,600 Wyoming residents who are on Medicaid, including 8,500 children. Those numbers also encompass 6,000 Wyomingites ages 65 or older and 1,200 military veterans. These are state residents' families, friends, and neighbors. Any effort to throw these people to the wolves -- as would the bill being peddled by Enzi and Barrasso -- is going to meet resistance.

Finally, the Senate plan would endanger those with pre-existing conditions (by allowing states to opt out) and crank up health insurance premiums for the elderly -- Wyoming's biggest population group. For example, a 64-year-old with an annual income of $26,500 is paying $1,700 under the current law; that would rise to $6,500. And a 64-year-old with an income of $56,800 who now pays $6,800 would see a $20,500 premium. Deductibles also would be raised.

No wonder Wyomingites are opposed to this measure. And if it were being proposed by a Democratic administration, you can bet Barrasso and Enzi would be assaulting the barricades to protect state residents from it. Yet they are not only supporting this measure, but they are boosting it. But they won't meet with the people of Wyoming to explain why. Party politics? Campaign donations from Big Pharma? A lack of connection to the very people who put them in office? Perhaps any or all of those.

Regardless, it appears the people of Wyoming HAVE made "that decision for themselves," Senator Barrasso. They oppose your bill. Why aren't you and Senator Enzi responding?

D. Reed Eckhardt is the former editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.