Apparently repealing Obamacare could violate international law

[DonViejo]

By Dana Milbank Opinion writer April 25 at 7:38 PM

We’ve already seen that repealing Obamacare is politically perilous. Now there’s a new complication: It may also violate international law.

The United Nations has contacted the Trump administration as part of an investigation into whether repealing the Affordable Care Act without an adequate substitute for the millions who would lose health coverage would be a violation of several international conventions that bind the United States. It turns out that the notion that “health care is a right” is more than just a Democratic talking point.

A confidential, five-page “urgent appeal” from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights in Geneva, sent to the Trump administration, cautions that the repeal of the Affordable Care Act could put the United States at odds with its international obligations. The Feb. 2 memo, which I obtained Tuesday, was sent to the State Department and expresses “serious concern” about the prospective loss of health coverage for almost 30 million people, which could violate “the right to social security of the people in the United States.”

The letter urges that “all necessary interim measures be taken to prevent the alleged violations” and asks that, if the “allegations” proved correct, there be “adequate measure to prevent their occurrence as well as to guarantee the accountability of any person responsible.”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/apparently-repealing-obamacare-could-violate-international-law/2017/04/25/2794a77c-29f4-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html

[appal_jack]

1. This will have less impact than most 'strongly worded letters,' but...

...any bit of pressure can help.

Still, who thinks that even one member of the Trump admin will so much as acknowledge that a U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights in Geneva even exists?

Nonetheless, k&r,

-app

[2naSalit]

2. +1

[MiniMe]

3. The repubs don't care