GOP health care plan

Last month Republican legislators in the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) opposed by every Democratic legislator and also the American Medical Association, the American Health Insurance Plans trade association and the American Association of Retired People. Now the GOP-controlled Senate is working to ram through its version of health insurance reform which, like the House version, is expected to slash Medicaid, reduce government subsidies for purchasing health insurance, and increase premiums especially for the sick and the elderly. Just as extreme as the content of this bill is the way it is being developed in absolute secrecy. The Senate is following the House's blueprint of no committee hearings, no input from experts or outside groups and no independent scoring by the Congressional Budget Office.

News networks, rather than focusing on Comey's hearings and Trumps tweets, should be covering the scandalous way the GOP is trying to ram through legislation that will impact one-sixth of the American economy and the ability of tens of millions of Americans to retain health insurance coverage. How many people are aware the AHCA will deplete the Medicare Trust Fund or that Trump's budget makes substantial cuts in the disability insurance benefit portion of the Social Security System? These impacts need a full airing before the GOP agenda becomes law.

JANET M. SMITH, Oak Ridge