Under criticism, GOP puts off its health care bill

ap/yahoo ^ | 4/24/13 | Jim Abrams

[SoFloFreeper]

An effort by House Republicans to highlight problems with President Barack Obama's health care law by bailing out a program for people with pre-existing medical conditions appeared to backfire Wednesday.

GOP leaders postponed a scheduled vote after the measure met strong opposition from two directions: from conservative groups resistant to any federal role in health care and from Democrats who objected that the Republicans planned to pay for the high-risk patient program by raiding a disease prevention provision the administration says is essential to the overhaul.

The legislation, a departure from the usual GOP efforts to kill the Affordable Health Care Act outright, also faced a White House veto threat.

Erica Elliott, spokeswoman for Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, said in a statement, "We had good conversations with our members and made a lot of solid progress" on the bill. But she said there was "still work to do," and with members leaving for the Bush Presidential Library dedication, "we'll continue the conversations" when the House returns in May after a recess next week.

The GOP bill would provide up to $3.6 billion to shore up the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, or PCIP, which is intended to be a stopgap measure for uninsured high-risk patients until the end of this year, when full consumer protections under the health care act go into effect.

[SoFloFreeper]

But groups such as Club for Growth and Heritage Action, which carry weight among some conservative lawmakers, came out against the measure, saying it didn't do enough to stop the intrusion of the federal government into health care. "Fiscal conservatives should be squarely focused on repealing Obamacare, not strengthening it by supporting the parts that are politically attractive," said Club for Growth.

[SoFloFreeper]

They were/are trying to shore up one part of the failing ObamaCare law by taking money from another part of the Obamacare law to pay for it...at least that is how I read the article.

Seems a little weird.

[Jim Noble]

Not one more dime.

It’s going to crash without GOP help. Burn, baby, burn.

[refermech]

Yup, let all the “savings” pay for the monster.

[JPG]

Not one more dime, indeed.

Obamacare is brain dead and on life support. The most merciful thing to do now is pull the plug and end it.

[Jim Noble]

“. The most merciful thing to do now is pull the plug and end it. “

Yeah, but the GOP is terrified to pull the plug and won’t do it.

However, since PPACA is DESIGNED to fail and produce system collapse, the next best thing to “ending it” is just to get out of the way, let it burn, and then crucify those responsible.

[Bratch]

House GOP Congressional Delegation

[JoeFromSidney]

Providing coverage for pre-existing conditions is not insurance, it's income transfer. It's like waiting until my house burns down, buying fire insurance, and demanding that the insurance company pay for my house. Insurance is for prospective risks, not things that have already happened.