Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

One small chip from the base, then another and another led to a U.S. House vote against former President Barak Obama’s signature accomplishment — ‘ObamaCare’ —  when on Thursday Congress narrowly passed the American Health Care Act of 2017, effectively putting the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 in a tailspin.

The U.S. House vote was 217 for with 213 against with no Democrats voting for passage while 20 Republicans voted with the Democrats.

The fight for a better, less costly health care system in America now moves to the U.S. Senate for more debate and additional changes. The Senate is expected to vote sometime in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the war of division between Democrats and Republican will reach fever pitch but in the end, President Donald Trump’s healthcare bill will be passed. Senate Republicans have the advantage by outnumbering the Democrats 52 to 46 with 2 independents. Eventual Senate passage is all but assured.

Let there be no doubt that this week’s emotional and teary-eyed outpouring by late-night TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel concerning his new born son with a life-threatening heart problem lit a fire underneath Washington lawmakers to stop playing around with healthcare in America and make it happen. Kimmel explained his son was born with a ‘pre-existing condition’ that could be fixed and it was by pediatric heart surgeons, but it shouldn’t matter if parents had “any money or not” or without health coverage. Kimmel received thunderous and rousing applause that did not fall on deaf ears in Washington. This funny man suddenly became every kid’s dad that every father could relate to — thank you Mr. Kimmel — your liberal critics are way off base. You did the right thing.

Healthcare in prosperous America should be a right for American citizens, and it should be free with a single-payer system. In the years to come it’s inevitable that single-payer will emerge like so many other countries in the free world already have. It’s all about priorities of the federal government. The money is already there for a single-payer system that eliminates insurance company involvement and lowers costs of medical care by paying only so much for any surgical procedure, hospital stay, doctor visit or prescription cost with no bills to the patient. The days of the medical cash cow are coming to an end.

The powerful American Medical Association, the insurance companies and doctors nationwide will fight single-payer with every means they have, but the bottom line will eventually be single-payer with no deductible. American voters will demand it.

The American Health Care Act of 2017 is not the end game. Healthcare in America is a work in progress; however slowly – inch by inch – moving closer to a single-payer system. The more the federal government is downsized the more affordable a single-payer system will be. It’s basic economics that entire government agencies could be eliminated in order to pay for single-payer. Discontinue all foreign financial aid and let those countries now receiving foreign aid to reapply, and then deny those applications from countries that hate the U.S.

With President Trump’s push for more jobs in America — make people work and force them off welfare, food stamps and other government giveaway programs. There’s no reason to spend billions attempting to send a man to Mars – this tin can should be kicked into the next century. Eliminating government waste is something the politicians in Washington talk a lot about but do little or nothing to stop. Non-essential government should be rolled back to the bare essentials of government like — keeping America safe, lower taxes, creating a business environment resulting in zero unemployment and providing adequate healthcare for citizens.

Politics watching is all the rage now. From stay-at-home liberal moms watching ABC’s ‘The View’ to the working man watching Sean Hannity on FOX News , it’s all politics all the time. Everybody is watching.

No matter where you go these days – local bars, hair salons or yoga class – everybody is talking about President Trump. Many agree with President Trump and his agenda for America, many do not. On Thursday the U.S. House passed healthcare onto the U. S. Senate, and for once they did not twiddle their thumbs with everyone watching.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.