Posted on 03/31/2017 1:45:02 PM PDT by Red Steel
[Full title] MEADOWS: The Obamacare mandates, there are 12 of them. Mark Meadows says Freedom Caucus will go along with AHCA if it kills community rating and EHB regulations
In the debate over repealing and replacing Obamacare, Republican leadership complains that conservatives have been moving the goal post. And Mark Meadows says they're right.
"Well we have," the Freedom Caucus chairman admits with a sigh during a sit-down interview with the Washington Examiner. "We've moved it much closer. All they have to do is kick a little chip shot through the goal posts...."
This comes after weeks of intense negotiation with leadership and the White House on the best way to overhaul Obamacare. But Meadows says his group of three dozen conservatives aren't asking for one thing before demanding another. Instead, he insists that the Freedom Caucus is conceding.
The group has abandoned their demand for a clean repeal. They're not asking Speaker Ryan to clear the slate and start over. Just eliminating the Obamacare mandates for coverage of Essential Health Benefits and the price controls known as "Community Rating," Meadows said "would bring the vast majority of the Freedom Caucus to a yes."
Before it went down in flames, the American Health Care Act only eliminated two of Obamacare's 12 mandates, specifically the individual and employer mandates. If Ryan can kick two more mandates, then he can get the win.
That can't be that hard Meadows said, considering Republicans campaigned on getting rid of Obamacare completely. "In the end," he said, "the request is pretty simple, just two more of the 12 Obamacare mandates."
Agreed. I did not know that is what is meant by community rating. I believe Trump said the new law would have the pre-existing conditions and the 26 year old clause. So, Trump is not going to go back on his word and his quest to get a deal means he will negotiate with the dems, which will make the bill more liberal. Sigh.
Besides, while I like almost all that Trump is doing, my big thing is the Wall and immigration. I told myself, if Trump can build the wall and reduce legal immigration anything else is gravy and so I'm sticking with that. I did not and do not have great expectations for things like the health care bill and the deficit.
He ran on repeal and replace with a number of free market solutions. And his team worked with Ryan in accepting basically what his HHS secretary had developed over the years in Congress.
There is no reason he “had” to back an Obamacare 2.0 bill, and certainly no reason to go after the Freedom Caucus on it!
The ferragummit forced millions of working class taxpayers into purchasing worthless health insurance that cost a fortune and had yuge deductibles.
The government should be held responsible for inflicting that damage. I don't care how much it would cost, that would be a concrete way for the President to show working Americans that he means business and he puts them first.
The federal government basically committed a tort on every American worker...
No, it’s not. Being in a flood zone is a risk assessment. You can’t buy flood insurance when you have four feet of water in your house, as it is no longer a risk, but is an existing condition.
Yes, it’s a “giveme,” but it is not insurance.
You are correct and I am OK with your proposal. The final solution (that does not sound right) will have a ton of subsidies and there really is no way around that other than if medical costs actually do go down one day.
He wanted a quick victory and that was the beginning and the end. A better way was to introduce a good bill and then sell it by traveling around the country, having a rally or two, a few townhalls, interviews, the works....build the consensus one day at a time. The process used was much to be desired and the voters were not into it. In the long run, it was good it was defeated, but hopefully the next version is a bit better. But I am not holding my breath.
>This mindset of overhaul is the problem. REPEAL.
Where’s the votes? We have maybe 35-40 Conservative votes in the senate. One the reasons we fought so hard against Obamacare in the first place was the realization that once in it wasn’t ever going thanks to the non-conservative members of the GOP like the Romney’s and McCains.
Maybe if the #nevertrumpers around here had gotten out and support Trump instead of Hillary we might have put enough conservatives into power that repeal was a real possibility, but no you had to stay true to “muh principles” and try to elect Hillary Clinton. Sigh.
But the zone itself is a high risk condition.
Obamacare took many months to tweak/pass. They have to start somewhere.
Agree.
Passing a tweaked version of Obamacare is not repealing it, it is setting it into stone, putting the GOP name on it, and creating a massive, new, terrible entitlement.
The wall, immigration, and having a real businessman in office were all most important to me. Frankly I look around this country, and; I do not like what has happened to the America I loved enough to die for and damn near did. I choose Trump as I wanted to see America Great Again.
I agree that the end goal should be private health insurance companies selling individual and group plans across state lines, add Medicare, Medicaid, Military healthcare, and the VA. Now, lets get rid of SCHIP too. That is gov. insurance also. The VA needs to get back to it’s original purpose. Getting back to this overnight is going to cause major problems in the lower income neighborhoods. Taking handouts away overnight will not go over well.
That needn’t be a problem—except the GOPe has been bought by the insurance industry.
We’re not going to phase out handouts for the poor, getting to a free market, which also requires removing guaranteed issue and the deduction for employer-provided insurance, will soon enough drop prices.
Handouts for the lower-middle, which is what Obamacare did both by expanding Medicaid and providing subsidies on the exchange, while jacking up prices so more needed them, need to go—but they can be phased out as prices drop.
Obamacare 2.0 does none of that.
Negotiating skill in action!
Wouldn’t make it through the senate. Zero chance unfortunately even if house passed clean. The good news is once ocare is gone, both parties will be able to vote on a bill and you’ll get further adjustments. Don’t forget healthcare in this country was spiraling out of control before ocare was passed
Exactly - we haven’t had free market healthcare in over 60 years
Again, you are ignoring the senate. No chance they would have passed a clean repeal
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