July 28, 2017 06:23 AM UTC

A letter to Senator Gardner

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• by: Republican 36

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Dear Senator Gardner:

Now that the “skinny repeal bill” lost on the Senate floor last night, what is your position on health care policy?

Before every vote on every repeal bill you have plead ignorance of what is or may be in the bill and therefore you didn’t know if you would vote for or against the various bills. You’ve taken that odd position even though you were a member of the group of 13 senators who crafted and wrote the bill supported by the majority leader. In essence, on the one hand you are deeply involved in writing the legislation but on the other you plead ignorance of what is in the bill. The time for you being both fully informed and completely ignorant is over.

It certainly appears the August recess will begin before the Senate passes a health care bill. You will have plenty of opportunities next month to meet with us, your constituents (You remember us – don’t you? We’re the ones who voted in 2014 to give you the privilege of serving us in the U.S. Senate) and ask us what we believe should be done about health care policy. Before that discussion begins, it is obvious through all the closed door meetings you attended on Obamacare repeal and the weeks of discussion across the nation, you certainly have specific ideas about how Obamacare should either be repealed or improved.

Here are a few ideas to focus our discussion:

1. You’ve stated you want to make Medicaid financially sustainable but what do you mean by that? Do you plan to increase taxes to sustain the present program or do you intend to cut the program. If you intend to cut it, how much (specifically) do you intend to cut it and those people (constituents) who will no longer have health insurance how will they receive medical care?
2. You have stated you don’t like the Obamacare mandate but how are you going to sustain our market based health insurance system without a mandate?
3. Under many of the Republican plans, people over the age of 55 will see their premiums increase five fold over what young people pay instead of the two fold under Obamacare. Do you think that is a good idea? If not, why did you support it?
4. And lets expand our discussion to Medicare. Do you support amending the existing law to allow Medicare to negotiate group prices for prescription drugs? If not, why not? Wouldn’t that save the government and your constituents at least hundreds of millions of dollars each year and make Medicare sustainable?

Those are just a few suggestions to get us started when you hold  town hall meetings. Please do not tell us you don’t know what may be in a subsequent bill so you don’t know whether you’ll vote for or against it. We know you don’t know what will be in a bill yet to be written but after all the recent debate (seven years worth) you certainly know specifically what you want the next bill to look like. We are respectfully asking you to tell us what you specifically support or oppose. What specific provisions do you want in a healthcare bill and why?

Everyone in Colorado is hoping you take the time during recess to talk with us.

Thank you.

Respectfully yours,

Your Constituents