Paul, you may have a point. And I don't believe all Republican ideas are bad, or all Democrat ideas good: some go too far in one direction.  Certainly ACA needs work.  But the Republicans have for years been opposed to compromise and working with the Democrats to produce a better plan.  For decades before ACA, they promised the country a national plan to make insurance more attainable, but couldn't bring themselves to displease their backers.  They were opposed to 'single-payer' then, and it's hard to believe they would really work for it now.  I remember G.W. Bush and his 'thousand points of light'- those faith-based entities who would provide charity after he successfully privatized SS and Medicare as he wanted to do.  Possibly the Republicans don't want to make life worse for the poor, only want to make sure they are grateful for all the charity.