It’s too soon to pile on the accolades for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s “statesmanship” and “brave stand against the disastrous Senate health care bill,” to quote two recent letters.
Within hours of doing this, Moran went from hero to zero when he came out in support of repealing the Affordable Care Act with no immediate replacement.
Congressional Budget Office scores released Wednesday estimate this approach would result in 32 million uninsured and double insurance premiums by 2026—no better, and in some areas worse, than the health care bill he opposed.
With all due credit, Moran is the one local member of Congress who has held public town halls, unlike Sen. Pat Roberts and Rep. Kevin Yoder, who have been noticeably absent. But Moran’s latest position makes me wonder whether he truly heard his constituents’ worries and anxieties in his so-called Kansas Listening Tour.
Recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows 71 percent of Americans would prefer the ACA be improved in a bipartisan manner rather than be repealed. It’s time for Sen. Moran to stop straddling the fence and decide where his loyalties lie—with the people or the party.
Colleen W. Knight
Leawood
Note from KBJ: Why does it need to be improved? Who voted for it? Who signed it into law? Republicans should leave health care alone and let Americans see what Democrats have given them.
