In 2010 our elected officials read (wink) the 2,000-plus page Affordable Health Care Act and quickly voted for it without any understanding of the consequences of such a complicated and far-reaching bill.

Have our representatives not heard the expression “you eat an elephant one bite at a time”?

Our health care system needs to be overhauled and the AHCA, although well-intended, I’m fearful of its unintended consequences, unidentified costs, delays in implementation of key aspects, delays in process and procedure development, complexity, unsubstantiated cost savings, impact to individuals/companies and our government’s ability to manage such a complex process.

Unbelievably, Congress has quietly gotten an exemption from the AHCA for itself and staff. So Congress had to pass a bill before it knew what was in it and now members think it should not apply to them.

How do ordinary citizens and small businesses get such exemptions?

I believe our government should take the time to honestly and thoroughly evaluate the AHCA. Further, each of the health issues, like pre-existing conditions, unaffordability, denied coverage, health insurance across state lines, impact on small businesses and individuals, etc., should be evaluated on a stand-alone basis to better understand the costs, implications and impact of each.

Health care is an important national issue and we need to take time to do it right. Both parties and the president need to stop their petty bickering, get to work and do what’s best for U.S. citizens, not for their political parties and re-elections.

James Thompson, Lisbon