Poor Gov. Bobby Jindal. He knows he won’t get through the Republican primary if he doesn’t use the R word or “Repeal”. 

The Republicans are ready to craft their own version of healthcare reform and to make it a front line issue in the next Presidential elections. That’s a good sign. But any American who thinks they can walk away from yesterday’s victory by the Democrats and repeal healthcare reform outright is woefully out-of-touch.  Americans want reform. They just don’t like this highly imperfect first draft. 

Let’s hear what Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has to say. He has the credentials to at least merit polite attention. After all, he was the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. And let’s encourage the Republicans to try a little harder to appeal to the many Americans who are looking for old-school compromise out of Washington.  I like that he said that fellow Republicans should feel free to cut and paste what they like and don’t like about his plan. (See below for my thoughts on abortion and birth control) I just hope Jindal doesn’t get pummeled by those Tea Party chicken littles who can’t get off that runaway “Repeal or Die” train.  The ones who think government doesn’t play any role in protecting the most vulnerable.  

From what I just read on Time.com, Gov. Jindal, is advocating a plan to cover the 10 million Americans who can’t afford even a low deductible or who have been denied benefits because of pre-existing conditions.  Jindal is calling for a flat rate deductible for all health insurance plans. Those who can’t afford it would get help from a special government fund that would allocate 100 billion dollars over ten years. The biggest change from the Affordable Care Act is that Jindal would provide block grants for Medicaid that states could use to determine who is and isn’t eligible for coverage and what that coverage looks like. No federal mandates on abortion inducing pills or birth control. He also would bar insurers from refusing to renew customers’ plans.  (That after 93,000 citizens in his home state of Louisiana had their policies cancelled under The Affordable Care Act%