For over a decade now, Republicans have railed against Obamacare. You know — that bill that was supposed to make health insurance cheaper, but didn’t.
After Obamacare was signed into law, Republicans promised that when they got back into power they’d vote to repeal it. But efforts while Obama was still president were futile. When Trump became president, the GOP’s effort to repeal Obamacare was scuttled, bizarrely, by the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Related: Biden Presses Panic Button, Invites Obama to White House
In the November midterms, Republicans are widely expected to win the House and possibly the Senate. Will they try again?
According to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), probably not.
During a recent town hall event in his home state, a constituent asked him how the GOP would expand access to health care. “It’s not repealing the Affordable Care Act, if that’s your question,” Grassley said. “Yes, I’m saying that I would not — we’re not going to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”
However, Grassley said he was speaking on his own behalf and not for any of the other Republicans in the Senate.
The senator’s spokesman, Taylor Foy, later clarified that Grassley was merely predicting the law’s fate in the next session.
“While noting that he can’t speak for all of his colleagues, he predicted that the law wouldn’t be repealed in its entirety,” Foy said. “In previous county meetings, Grassley has also noted that the focus should be on how to improve the existing health care system, including reducing the cost of prescription drugs.”
To be fair, Joe Biden will never sign a repeal of Obamacare. Any effort to remove it while any Democrat is president would be useless. The real question is what Republicans will do when they have the White House and both the House and Senate again.
I long for the days before Obamacare, when health care was less expensive, and I hope the GOP will eventually have the guts to repeal it. But symbolic gestures that don’t accomplish the ultimate goal are a waste of time.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member