There’s a wild fig tree near Echo Caves in South Africa that has a root system that plunges some 400 feet below ground.

Seems that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may be dealing with a similar species as he tries to pull out Obamacare “root and branch.” It’s something he has promised ever since the health care law was passed by a Democratic Congress in 2010 and it’s proving to be very difficult to do.

While the law has polled poorly over the years, certain aspects of it are very popular — whether it’s the provision that insurance companies must cover pre-existing conditions or one that allows children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26. There is an appeal to parts of the plan that makes it difficult to repeal.

That's why McConnell, who once claimed himself to be a champion of health care, is having such a difficult time.

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He’s twice failed to get the 50 Republicans he needs to repeal and replace the health care plan. McConnell announced on Tuesday that he would abandon plans to replace Obamacare and simply try to repeal it, then backpedaled the same day even on that promise because he couldn't muster the support from within the party he leads.

It's a good thing, too, because repeal without a viable replacement would certainly mean tens of millions more people go without health insurance, forcing more and more bankruptcies, more and more deaths, and more and more heartache.

Prior to Obamacare taking full effect, more than 41 million Americans were without health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. By 2015 that number had dropped to 28.5 million — many of those in families where at least one member worked but wasn't provided insurance at their workplace.

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McConnell once claimed he understood.

Back in 1990, when he was seeking re-election for the first time and running against former Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane, a physician, McConnell felt like he needed to bolster his credibility on health care, so he did what McConnell always does.

He turned to television.

“When I was a child and my dad was in World War II, I got polio. I recovered, but my family almost went broke. Today, too many families can’t get decent affordable health care. That’s why I’ve introduced a bill to make sure health care is available to all Kentucky families, hold down skyrocketing costs and provide long-term care,” he said in the 30-second commercial.

No doubt McConnell’s battle with polio was traumatic and costly.

According to a 1940 annual report for the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, where McConnell was treated, one could receive polio treatment at what later became the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation for $42 a week or about $2,200 per year. McConnell was struck in 1944.

In today’s dollars, that would be about $38,500 per year. It's a hefty figure, but it pales when compared to the costly treatments available today for a variety of illnesses and diseases.

It seems that sometime since 1990, McConnell forgot about the cost of illnesses. Or he has allowed politics to become more important to him than the people who he represents.

Obamacare didn’t solve the problem of expensive health insurance or costly procedures — nor do any of the fixes McConnell and his Republican colleagues have proposed.

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But what it did was fix some of the problems associated with health care, including making sure more young adults were still covered by their parents’ policies while finishing school or starting entry level jobs.

It made sure that more people had access to diagnostic tests and preventative medicine. And it made sure that people’s lifetime benefits weren’t capped, forcing them to lose coverage when they needed it most.

It made sure that when people change jobs, unlike before, their insurance continues to treat their high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illness.

Those were all deeply rooted problems with the old health care system. They will return if Obamacare is repealed “root and branch” without a suitable replacement. Hopefully we’ll find that Obamacare’s roots continue to run as deep as those of a South African fig tree.

Only then will Congress get around to fixing the health care system rather than destroying it.

Joseph Gerth's column runs on most Sundays and at various times throughout the week. He can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courier-journal.com.