On the recordJanuary 9, 2017
the Hippocratic Oath that guides health care practitioners begins with these powerful words: ``First, do no harm.'' This is certainly good guidance for our doctors and other health care practitioners, but isn't it good guidance also for those who are in the realm of health care policy, for those who are health care policy practitioners, as well as the doctors themselves? ``First, do no harm.'' Those powerful first words of the Hippocratic Oath, very relevant to this discussion, are being ignored by my colleagues across the aisle, by the Republicans who have come to power and said: We are going to dismantle health care across this Nation for millions of Americans, and we don't know what we are going to do next. We are going to repeal this plan, and we are going to run away, and in a few years we might figure out how to replace these health care provisions. This is an irresponsible perspective. We hold in our hands the health care challenges of America, and to repeal and run will do a tremendous amount of harm. The irresponsibility of it is terrifying families across America. They are scared of what the future holds, of the uncertainty that awaits them under this strategy of making America sick again. Folks are afraid that if they have ever been sick or injured they will soon be denied coverage because they have a preexisting condition.…





