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Remaking Obamacare should be done a little at a time

Haste makes waste, especially in Washington, D.C. There, undue haste to replace the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — could make it or something worse permanent.

As its unofficial name implies, the national health care takeover law is President Barack Obama’s baby. Reportedly, he and Democrat strategists are making plans to stymie a Republican campaign to rescind and replace the law.

It has been reported the Democrat strategy will be to exploit differences of opinion among Republicans in Congress about a replacement for Obamacare.

That will not be difficult. The law is so complex and now, so entrenched that it may prove impossible to craft a substitute fully acceptable to all conservatives in Congress. The Democrats’ task will be to make GOP lawmakers forget the old advice that politics is the art of compromise.

But give and take in politics requires time. Both President-elect Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have said repealing and replacing Obamacare will be one of their top priorities this year.

Thoughtful GOP strategists have suggested the obvious: Don’t try to do it all at once. Phase in desirable changes, a little at a time.

Attempting a massive remake of Obamacare all at once risks playing right into liberals’ hands. Disagreements among Republicans could scrap the whole project.

Perhaps the best advice for those seeking to get rid of Obamacare, for the good of millions of Americans hurt, not helped, by it, is this: Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

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