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Calm deliberations may yield an answer

Affordable Care Act must be reformed, but more dialogue is now needed

The realities of politics and human behavior being what they are, it is time for U.S. senators — and President Donald Trump — to take a break from attempts to reform health insurance. Emotions are running far too high to expect that a solution will be forthcoming quickly.

Senate Republican leaders tried several approaches to repealing and replacing Obamacare this summer. One by one, bills ranging from comprehensive overhauls to piecemeal approaches crashed and burned.

That prompted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to declare that the Senate would move on to other matters.

Soon after former President Barack Obama and liberals then in control on Capitol Hill pushed the Affordable Care Act into law, it became obvious the measure was flawed deeply. Many private insurance companies were losing money on policies Obamacare forced them to sell.

So, both under the law and outside its provisions, the Obama White House began funneling billions of dollars a year to the companies. Cutting them off without an Obamacare replacement on the books would hurt millions of Americans. Insurance companies would have no choice but to accelerate the process some already have begun, of pulling out of entire regions.

McConnell is right. Now is the time for quiet, behind-the-scenes negotiations that could change minds or, perhaps, lead to acceptable alternatives on reform.

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