The Republicans in the House already repealed Obamacare numerous times.  Why are they sweating it out this time?  Answer: Because they knew before that their "repeal" would not pass the Senate, or, if it did, it would be vetoed by President Barack Obama.  This time, they will have to bear the consequences of whatever law they pass.  Thus, they are afraid that their foray into health care will be depicted as a cruel attack on our vulnerable citizens.  They fear hundreds of stories of people with incurable diseases – young, old, and many in the middle years – being unable to get care and sitting in wheelchairs or sick beds, waiting to die.

During those multiple repeals, we were assured that people like Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and the other physicians in Congress, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) (retired in 2015) have offered bills to advance health credits, lower costs, develop a pool for the chronically ill, and assure national competition.

The shift from repeal (beginning with passage of Obamacare in 2010) to "repeal and replace" actually began in 2014.  But there still was a great divide among the Republicans because there were seven bills offered in Congress between Feb. 2012 and March 2015 that called for almost total repeal.  Thus, it is clear that despite introduction of repeal and replace, those alternatives really did not gain full support of Republicans who continued to advance repeal bills.

The main driving force in Republicans being elected since 2010 was opposition to the ACA.  Although repeal and replace came in as a new mantra in 2014, it did not dominate, and repeal laws continued to be offered through March 2015.

Democrats showed no interest in appeasing Republicans by modifying the original ACA.  Even with modifications, it is not clear to this writer that the American Health Care Act now on the table would get even one Democratic vote.

Now it's time to put up or shut up.  Instead of all the grand alternatives that Republicans claimed they had for years, they have come up with a compromise scheme that does not satisfy many grassroots Republicans.  Even the name of this new compromise bill is the American Health Care Act; it almost has the same name as the bill that offends.  People like me – conservatives to the hilt – see this not as a compromise, but as a cave-in.  We see this not as a repeal, but as a partial repeal.  We see this not as an alternative concept, but as a watered down concept.  Therefore, if it passes, it will be a betrayal of the Republican base.

We did not want the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and we still do not want it.