Dionne: The big lies about health care

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell smiles as he leaves the chamber after announcing the release of the Republicans' healthcare bill which represents the party's long-awaited attempt to scuttle much of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017. The measure represents the Senate GOP's effort to achieve a top tier priority for President Donald Trump and virtually all Republican members of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell smiles as he leaves the chamber after announcing the release of the Republicans' healthcare bill which represents the party's long-awaited attempt to scuttle much of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017. The measure represents the Senate GOP's effort to achieve a top tier priority for President Donald Trump and virtually all Republican members of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post Writers Group June 26, 2017 4 min read

WASHINGTON – To succeed in gutting health coverage for millions of Americans, Senate Republican leaders need to get a series of lies accepted as truth. Journalists and other neutral arbiters must resist the temptation to report these lies as just a point of view. A lie is a lie.

Lie One: Democrats and progressives are unwilling to work with Republicans and conservatives on this issue.

“If we went and got the single greatest health care plan in the history of the world, we would not get one Democrat vote,” President Trump told an Iowa crowd last Wednesday.

In fact, Democrats, including President Obama when he was in office, have said repeatedly they would like to work with Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act.

But Democrats can never be complicit in a wholesale repeal of Obamacare that would take health coverage away from millions of Americans.