Posted on 03/28/2017 8:46:45 AM PDT by Kaslin
The failed House Republican American Health Care Act (AHCA) was always a work in progress. The three-phased approach to reform health care called for passage of the AHCA to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes and mandates; and slow the growth in Medicaid as (i.e. phase one). Phase two was the selective removal of Obamacare regulations by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Phase three was to be a forthcoming health care bill to revamp onerous insurance regulations.
Passage of the AHCA (the Obamacare repeal bill) would have resulted in numerous benefits – getting rid of the individual and employer mandates, stopping the open-ended exchange subsidies and the huge expansion of Medicaid that will bankrupt America over time, are but a few.
However, it had its shortfalls. One misguided provision was the Managers Amendment, which would not allow Americans to use any part of their tax credits to fund Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Instead of being able to use a portion of their tax credit to pay for doctor visits, prescriptions, and OTC drugs, Americans would only be allowed to use their credits towards insurance. This was a big mistake for a variety of reasons. Purportedly the amendment disallowing tax credit to fund HSAs was designed to appease those who do not want anyone using their tax credit for an abortion. Of course, this same rule would have also prevented Christian health sharing ministry members from using the credit towards their and fellow members’ medical care.
Tax credits were a sticking point for some conservative Members of Congress. A tax credit for those who lack employer coverage is the right thing to do politically, however. Higher-income workers get huge subsidies through the tax code for employer coverage, so it’s hard-hearted to tell moderate-income people who lack employer coverage they get nothing. A tax credit is also an opportunity to give millions more Americans an HSA. If the credits were automatically deposited into individuals’ HSAs, they could be used for health insurance premiums, copays, cost-sharing and to pay directly for care.
If allowed to do so, Americans may even decide to forgo health insurance coverage and use the entire credit/HSA to pay directly for medical care. That provision allowing this should be included in any future bill. For well over half the population, an HSA with $2,000 to $4,000 would be sufficient to fund their entire annual health care needs in cash.
Consider this: the goal of Obamacare was to get as many healthy people into the insurance market as possible to subsidize the money-losing enrollees with pre-existing health conditions. That’s why I say Obamacare is a bad deal for most Americans by design. As a result of the high Obamacare premiums, millions of Americans now have health insurance coverage with deductibles so high that their health plan pays little if any of their routine medical bills. Yet all plans are required have no annual limits or lifetime limits on benefits. Stated another way, people are required to buy expensive health coverage that is not expected to pay for their own care; rather it’s designed to pay for someone else’s catastrophic medical needs. There is nothing wrong with pooling risk, but Obamacare goes far beyond pooling risk and instead coercively redistributes wealth from young to old; healthy to sick.
The key to reining in runaway health costs is not to boost coverage to more and more people as Obamacare tried to do. The key to slowing the growth in health care spending is to make more and more people care more about their medical spending. To this end, it would actually be better for the health care system if millions of Americans decided to forgo insurance, dropped coverage and used their tax credit/HSAs on direct primary care. That is something that most policy analysts fail to understand. Increasing comprehensive health insurance coverage does not reduce health care expenditures (it increases spending). Rather, starving the beast does reduce expenditures. To that end, another good idea is to revamp the essential health benefits required in all plans. It cannot be done through budget reconciliation along, but some experts believe that Secretary Price has the authority to tweak these provisions. Secretary Price already has the power to drop the appeal of House vs. Price (formerly House vs. Burwell) that found the ACA’s cost-sharing subsidies are illegal because they have not been appropriated by Congress. Dropping the appeal would stop the government from paying Obamacare’s illegal cost-sharing subsidies, which would likely cause insurers to pull out of the market unless changes were made. That too would put pressure on Congress to find a solution to the stalemate that exists on reforming insurance regulations. These are the regulations that make Obamacare premiums so expensive.
The Republicans in the House need to use their brains and grow a spine. Obamacare is collapsing. All that will prevent the collapse is either: 1) Huge budget-busting taxpayer subsidies until the end of time; or 2) reforming the insurance markets, which Democrats are loath to do. Congress needs to get back to work on a new health reform proposal. While that is in progress Secretary Price should continue with Phase Two (tweaking regulations), which might lead to a sound health reform.
As was shown last week, it appears that President Trump wants to get something - anything - passed. He doesn't seem to be that interested in what's in it so long as the "deal" gets done.
Another thing, when Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his running mate in the 2014 election many in hear could not praise Paul Ryan enough. Perhaps you was one of them.
Ahh .... try “LOSER PAYS” if you want to see REAL tort reform. Award “caps” are not effective to any large degree. Under caps the “Settle or we’ll sue” shakedowns continue.
Send Lyin’ Ryan back to the minor leagues.
There must be a small town in Wisconsin that can use a dog catcher or a deratification technician.
just point out to the people the current ridiculous costs of the current Obamacare. I think it is something like $100,000 per PERSON insured... that’s insane!!!
And remind them of the lies (you can keep your docto, plan, costs $2500 LESS, etc...)
I DON’T CARE that 20 million will “lose insurance” if it is repealed...
I care abut the 2300 million OTHER people in the country that are paying for this crap!!!!!!!
Ryan is a decent corporal, but a lousy general. Definitely in need of demotion.
I’m inclined to go with Gowdy, but I’d hesitate if it removed him from a crucial investigative role elsewhere.
Just repeal it with a one-sentence bill.
“Perhaps you was one of them. “
I admit I was one of them. I thought he was a hawk but he has turned out to be talk. :(
I’m hearing more and more clamor for single payer and if the Repubs don’t act soon, that is what we are going to have.
What is this “Replace” BS?
The Federales made a mess of the Healthcare Industry through excessive regulation and programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
How ‘bout NO replacement?
Just repeal Obamacare, keep anything that aids the free market, like selling policies across the state line, and we give Freedom a try?
Democrat fortunes and prospects are at a low point but it looks as if once again republicans will stumble to their rescue.
If republicans don’t deliver on the promise to repeal Obamacare they will be in for a terrible bloodbath at the 2018 and 2020 elections.
Let’s hope they don’t waste this golden opportunity to change the dynamic and put the country back on the Constitutional path.
George ‘Dubya’ Bush had a golden opportunity to do exactly that but wasted eight years and paved the way for Barack Obama to be elected.
Donald Trump has handed republicans and America one more chance but it is starting to seems that once again republicans are not up to the task.
It doesn’t matter what they pass. Two things need to happen...they need to be on it also and the IRS needs to be out of it!
We differ a little. I don’t even think Ryan is a decent corporal. He’s disloyal, and takes money from the wrong people.
I think Gowdy would rise to the occasion. I.e.: if he were promoted, it would bring out his best. I can’t prove it; it’s just a sense I have.
To reason to quibble over Ryan. He’s been a train wreck, and we both agree about that.
Looks like Trump is back to negotiating the health care deal.
This should be interesting. Wonder who blinked?
Correction: “No Reason to quibble....”
I have no idea how my keyboard makes those mistakes and why I don’t see them ‘til later.
This whole healthcare drama has shaken me. Why Trump has appeared to be so supportive of Ryan is mystifying and unsettling. Something isn’t adding up.
Trump campaigned against Congress using ‘we the people’ to pay off campaign donors via legislation.. Ryan miscalculated that his ‘secret’ legislation would be given the green light, because he was third in line for the oval office. RYAN is that very proverbial ‘SNAKE’ Trump campaigned against.
On health care Trump is a moderate to liberal. That must mean Ryan is on board with that.
From a thread earlier today:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3538694/posts
Scott Pelley: What’s your plan for Obamacare?
Donald Trump: Obamacare’s going to be repealed and replaced. Obamacare is a disaster if you look at what’s going on with premiums where they’re up 45, 50, 55 percent.
Scott Pelley: How do you fix it?
Donald Trump: There’s many different ways, by the way. Everybody’s got to be covered. This is an un-Republican thing for me to say because a lot of times they say, “No, no, the lower 25 percent that can’t afford private.” But—
Scott Pelley: Universal health care?
Donald Trump: I am going to take care of everybody. I don’t care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.
Scott Pelley: The uninsured person is going to be taken care of how?
Donald Trump: They’re going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably—
Scott Pelley: Make a deal? Who pays for it?
Donald Trump: —the government’s gonna pay for it. But we’re going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most it’s going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-60-minutes-scott-pelley/
He said who he was, and he didn’t apologize. He made himself clear throughout the campaign. In doing so, he was not only able to win the Republican nomination, but he also won the election by cracking the blue wall and winning with working class voters, poor voters, and rural voters. Some of these voters are dependent on Obamacare. If you wanted a candidate who was going to do a straight repeal or repeal and replace with something that did not include a safety net, Donald Trump was not the candidate to vote for. You would have wanted Ted Cruz or Rand Paul.
He even reiterated again in an interview with The Washington Post right before he took office:
We’re going to have insurance for everybody,” Trump said.
There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.” People covered under the law “can expect to have great health care. It will be in a much simplified form. Much less expensive and much better.”
Just some basic stats and polls:
Thanks. I had read that interview previously. I still don’t see why Trump embraces Ryan. When NBC/the Dems tried to destroy Trump with the locker room tape, Ryan was first out of the gate to pile on and stab Trump in the back. They say Trump is pragmatic. I say that can be carried too far.
Michael Corleone said Vito taught him, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
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