For nearly seven years, Republicans have been saying that they would repeal and replace Obamacare as soon as they had the power to do it. Now they have the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress, but appear not to have any viable strategy for making good on that promise.
The elusiveness of that strategy follows from the many constraints under which Republicans are operating. Here are six. One: A lot of people who voted for Republicans want to see the end of Obamacare, for both philosophical and practical reasons. Two: A lot of them — sometimes the same people — are nervous about losing their health coverage if it goes. Most people also like important elements of Obamacare, such as its ban on insurer discrimination against people with preexisting conditions and its requirement that adults under age 26 be allowed to get coverage through their parents’ plans.
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