In Woodrow Wilson fashion, here are 14 points for ObamaCare repeal

Woodrow Wilson had his Fourteen Points. Here are 14 more — this time about one of the most pressing issues in Washington today: ObamaCare repeal.

First, Republicans have control of the House, the Senate and the White House. Republicans control the House by a majority of 241-193. Republicans control the Senate by a margin of 52-48. President Trump won the Electoral College 304-227.

{mosads}Second, virtually every Republican ran for office on the promise to repeal ObamaCare. Leaders of the Republican conference in both the House and Senate, as well as the president himself, have promised emphatically to repeal and replace ObamaCare this year.

Third, Dr. Tom Price, a sharp critic of ObamaCare, is secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An orthopedic surgeon, Price has spent a significant portion of his career fighting the law. He has tangible authority over most of the regulations stemming from ObamaCare.

Fourth, the political left is totally distracted by nonsense issues such as fake Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. Still bitterly contesting and protesting the results of the election, the liberal base is focused futilely on resisting the president and his agenda rather than uniting and helping to shape it.

Fifth, the solutions being offered by the left on healthcare reforms (such as single-payer) are entirely outside the mainstream. According to the Urban Institute, government spending on healthcare would increase $29 trillion over 10 years under the plan proposed by Bernie Sanders. Obviously we can’t afford to take on the costs, but even if we could, Americans don’t want government-run healthcare. They recognize the tragic future that government-run systems inevitably face.

Sixth, the rhetoric on the left (such as Elizabeth Warren saying “people will die”) is so hyperbolic and reactionary that even the media is tuning it out and openly mocking it. Rather than offering coherent and respectful arguments against the Republican plan, Warren and others have resorted to ridiculously overblown mudslinging with no basis in reality. While there is an audience for this type of politicking, it is restricted to intensely partisan Democrats with no influence on the healthcare debate.

Seventh, in 2015, Republicans successfully moved a repeal bill through the reconciliation process. It went through both chambers of Congress and onto the president’s desk for signature. The party clearly demonstrated unity and sincerity on this issue and were rewarded for it during the election. If the process repeats itself, the only variable this time around is that the current president is committed to signing the bill.

Eighth, a repeal bill has passed the House this year under reconciliation. The American Health Care Act of 2017 passed the House on May 4 by a vote of 217-213.

Ninth, a repeal bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, is nearing majority support in the Senate.

Tenth, according to analysis done by the Heritage Foundation, the cost of inaction on repeal is nearly $500 million a day.

Eleventh, since the passage of ObamaCare, the cost of health insurance premiums for the average family have increased 32 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Twelfth, since 2013, premium costs on the individual market have gone up 99 percent for individuals, and 140 percent for families, according to eHealth.

Thirteenth, the United States of America is a country rooted in the idea that free enterprise will lead to economic growth. ObamaCare, by contrast, amounts to rigorous controls on the insurance market by the federal government.

Fourteenth, according to Gallup, 29 percent of the American people have said ObamaCare has hurt them or their families.

Thomas Binion is director of congressional and executive branch relations at The Heritage Foundation, where he is responsible for programs on Capitol Hill and engagement with the administration.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.