Hinson and Republicans need a health care plan

First, contrary to what Rep. Ashley Hinson and her MAGA colleagues in Congress have asserted ad nauseam, this was NOT a Democratic Party shutdown of the federal government.

The main reason Democrats resisted is Republicans in Congress have already passed bad, ugly legislation into law that will make affordable health care a thing of the past again for millions of Americans.

The MAGA-leaning members have ensured premium payments would more than double for most who rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for their insurance. That's an unnecessary strain on millions of American families. Higher costs will, of course, lead many to drop their health care coverage entirely.

In Cedar Rapids recently, Hinson touted the need for reforms to the ACA. Did anyone bother to ask what those reforms would be? They have no clue — they just want it dismantled.

Remember how candidate Donald Trump famously said last year that he had "concepts of a plan" when asked about his alternative to the ACA? Nothing ever materializes.

I'll give you a plan: Medicare for All Americans. Remove the health insurance "industry" from the equation, and ensure that our society does what every other wealthy nation on the planet does at least to some degree — take care of each other.

Craig Hlas

Cedar Rapids