Al Lawson: GOP health care plan ‘smoke and mirrors’

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Al Lawson made his feelings known on the GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Spoiler: the Democrat from Florida’s 5th Congressional District stands in opposition, calling the Republican proposal “smoke and mirrors” in a Wednesday op-ed for the Tallahassee Democrat.

Lawson’s editorial distilled familiar Democratic talking points: “Tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans while burdening hard working families with higher health care costs … soaring new health care costs for our seniors and [a shortened] life of the Medicare Trust Fund, endangering seniors and disabled Americans who depend on Medicaid coverage.”

It also advances the Congressional Budget Office’s declaration that 24 million more people would be left uninsured by 2025 under the American Health Care Act — the bill in the House that is finding pushback both from Democrats and Republicans aligned with the Freedom Caucus.

“I will continue to fight to ensure Floridians with pre-existing conditions don’t have to worry about losing their health care, that young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26,” Lawson said.

Worth noting: VP Mike Pence told Jacksonville residents on Saturday that both of those points are open for negotiation, a position that seemingly mollifies neither the united bloc of Democrats nor restive Republicans in Congress.

Lawson’s editorial dropped the same day former VP Joe Biden visited Capitol Hill to rally Democratic opposition.