Posted on 08/31/2018 4:03:29 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
He was selling "snake oil," "making a false and politically damaging promise," committing "a fraud on the American people," and "(doing) his country a major disservice." He was "creating a huge distraction" by pursuing "a fool's errand" and "the dumbest idea" one Senator claimed he had ever heard. He was a "false leader" engaging in "government terrorism."
In sum, he was a "joke, plain and simple," and as one especially distinguished colleague affectionately recalled, "Lucifer in the flesh."
And those were all descriptions from his own party.
Oh, by the way: Ted Cruz was also right.
The vilification Cruz endured from fellow Republicans back in October 2013 stemmed from his to-the-mattresses battle to shut down the government in hopes of defunding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ObamaCare, before it could take full effect.
Now, Fox News is reporting that the once-hated program is more popular than the GOP's signature initiative — the recent tax cut. Which should be no surprise.
Because the lonely stand of the Lone Star State's junior Senator stemmed from his apprehension that "(President Barack Obama's) strategy is to get as many Americans as possible hooked on the subsidies, addicted to the sugar. ... If we get to January 1 (2014), this thing is here forever."
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
The good news is that he may just do that. I told him to negotiate with his doctors and pharmacy directly to see how much this would all cost him if he paid out of pocket.
His premiums are $1,200 per month. The rest is his annual deductible and his copays.
I went to the ER last year. It was hilarious, in a painful way, to see a two hour visit escalate into $200,000 and going! There is something radically wrong here.
He can join one of those Christian healthcare companies which teach you to negotiate with healthcare professionals.
What a world.
P.S. — $1,800 in premiums (I assume that’s a MONTHLY premium) and a $10,000 annual deductible means your friend is paying more than $31,000 every year in medical costs before he gets a single dollar in coverage paid by the insurance company.
That’s why he doesn’t have insurance. Most people can’t spend 30k per year before anything is covered.
Think about that for a moment. We've now reached the point where people WITHOUT insurance pay less out of pocket than people who are insured!!
The system has cratered as far as I’m concerned.
I agree. It’s an inevitable consequence of having an entire industry built on third-party payments.
I suspect you're right. Regardless of whether it was a repeal and replace or a clean repeal McCain's vote was payback for "I like heroes who weren't captured". The benefits or disadvantages of the bill didn't enter in to it.
Exactly, their willingness to allow Senators like McCain, Susan Collins, Flake et al to control the party and push it to the Dem Lite position really hurt the party.
Why would we believe THIS poll?
Most of the poll results are issued with a purpose in mind. This one is no different. They want to create anti-Trump misinformation.
The media love to play with our heads.
I say it is baloney.
The pharmacies have a gag order from certain insurance companies that prevents them from telling the consumer the cheaper option, unless specifically asked.
Sedan or Coupe?
Usually, a person’s funeral does not turn into a joke. However, this may be John McCain’s lasting impression.
Barack Obama is NOT a natural born citizen.
BOTH parties conspired to violate the Constitution.
BTW, Ted Cruz tried to become President even though he is not eligible, either.
This is inevitable, for many reasons, principally because of developments that occurred from 1965-1986. What we see now is simply the working out of impossible promises made during that time.
The American people hate "Obamacare", it's true. That's the good news.
The bad news is the only two things they hate about it are the name, and paying for it. The rest of it? They will destroy any politician who touches coverage for pre-existing conditions, coverage of 25 year old "children", guaranteed care even if you don't/won't pay, etc, etc.
The Democrats want nationalization,. and they're going to get it, because this is what the Republicans want:
"Reduce costs, reduce taxes, take away the 'individual mandate,' but still ensure people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it"
The whole problem, succinctly stated, in one clever, incoherent sentence.
The reason the Republicans can't crack this nut, in fact, the reason their party won't exist as a single party by 2024, is that they are divided and unable to be reconciled over the contradiction so ably stated above.
"Ensure people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it"
Let's break it down.
Nobody "wants" "healthcare" (whatever that is). I suppose the author of the sentence means "health insurance".
People either need health care (meaning, hospitalization, surgery, medications, and nursing services), or they don't. WHEN they need it, they want it (or are too sick to know they do), but when they don't need it, they most certainly don't WANT it.
When people NEED hospitalization, surgery, medications, and nursing services (and notice how much people don't want to think about that - they invented the euphemism "healthcare" to describe it) - when they need it, "having the ability to purchase it" is absolutely, totally, 100% completely the last thing on their minds. So is organizing society so that it will be available. What is on patient's minds at the point of need is death, or life - disability and disfigurement, or recovery. They do not know, or care, who pays, or how.
So, the Democrats have resolved the philosophical question that comes before the practical problem. They want to ensure that "healthcare" (by which they mean services) is given to all by the government without regard for ability to purchase (pay for) it. Whether this is right or wrong, smart or stupid, practical or akin to skittles from unicorns is not my point. My point is that they have resolved the contradiction embedded in "lower costs, lower taxes, no mandate, ensure ability to purchase (pay for it) for 100% of the population". The Democrats know what they want, and they are united and determined to have it.
The poor, stupid Republicans, OTOH, are divided about the underlying premise. They really do want health insurance to be cheaper without the lost revenue being made up by taxes, and they want no requirement to have it, BUT they also want "people that want healthcare" (again, whatever that means) to "have the ability to purchase it".
This is incoherent. If hospitals, surgeons, drug manufacturers and nurses do not get paid for their services, they will no longer be available. Many, many people who NEED (and therefore "want") those services cannot pay 1% of what they cost.
"Ensuring that people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it" either means cheap insurance that doesn't cover anything OR nationalization of the resources to deliver care to those who cannot, or will not, pay.
There is no middle ground. The Democrats know what they want. The Republicans don't.
As Sun Tzu said, "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."
The Republicans do not have a plan because they do not have a philosophy that can support their opposed goals of more freedom for the well and perfect security for the sick.
McCain voted against because it shrunk Medicade. So he said. That and he wanted to hurt trump
I expect his primary reason was to hurt the President.
And if you are self pay, Sacred heart in Pensacola deducts 70% off your bill without you even asking.
And yet your insurance company will be raked over the coals and won’t blink an eye.
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