Letter: Wait to repeal Affordable Care Act until a new plan has been presented

Dear Congressman Dan Newhouse — you serve Washington’s 4th Congressional District as our representative. President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order to start dismantling parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Republican leadership has repeatedly claimed that it is a terrible plan and should be replaced by a superior one.

I strongly urge you and your fellow congressmen to wait on repealing the ACA until a new plan has been presented. In the interest of fairness, I propose that you then poll the citizens of our district regarding the following:

1. Offer both old and new plans to new subscribers, and let them choose by selecting one or the other. Publish these results openly.

2. For current subscribers, provide them with a choice to stay with their current plan or switch to the new plan. Publish these results openly.

This is consistent with a Republican Party market-based solution. Let the market (consumer) decide. This ensures that citizens currently insured are not suddenly cut off from any plan. I suspect a majority will support the ACA; take this opportunity to prove me wrong. And please provide this new plan over the next few months (not years).

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 4:06 AM with the headline "Letter: Wait to repeal Affordable Care Act until a new plan has been presented."