Republicans unveil their healthcare Bill

Examiner.com ^ | 09/18.2013 | Steven H Ahle

[Red Statements]

Republicans revealed the details of their new healthcare bill, to replace Obamacare. It has the backing of nearly 3/4 of the republicans in the House. The bill includes money to the states to shore up their preexisting condition pool. The bill from the Republican Study Committee, would repeal the entire Obamacare bill.

It would expand health savings accounts, medical liability reform, and would eliminate the restrictions on buying insurance across state lines. Although the sponsors of the bill plan to vote on it as soon as possible, they concede that it has no chance of passing in the senate.

[nickcarraway]

People should be going after them with pitchforks and torches.

[zerosix]

I certainly don't mean to disagree but "liberalizing laws" and "giving patients 'more' control" isn't doing much more than moving the chairs on the deck of the Titanic!

I'm interested only in first step, scrapping in total, Obamacare, then agreeing that medical savings accounts that admit Americans have a vested interested in their own medical decisions - not some nameless, faceless bureaucracy, regardless of which party is dreaming up the rules!

You are correct in pointing out that our "being allowed to purchase insurance across state lines."

That we haven't been "permitted" to do so up to now, has been a collusion between the industry and our government, to protect insurance prices.

[zerosix]

Before any plan is put together, we need far, far more time for input from the people that it will affect as it is quite obvious, elected officials and the bureaucrats will see to it that they are well provided for!

Just as in the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm."

This should be the motto of any GOP "plan."

[cynwoody]

You’ll have to tell me in writing - I’m deaf and You Tube doesn’t have closed captions.

Here it is:

Romney: Actually, Newt, we got the idea of an individual mandate from you.

Gingrich: That’s not true. You got it from the Heritage Foundation.

Romney: Yes, we got it from you, and you got it from the Heritage Foundation and from you.

Gingrich: Wait a second. What you just said is not true. You did not get that from me. You got it from the Heritage Foundation.

Romney: And you never supported them?

Gingrich: I agree with them, but I’m just saying, what you said to this audience just now plain wasn’t true.

... [Crosstalk] ...

Romney: OK. Let me ask, have you supported in the past an individual mandate?

Gingrich: I absolutely did with the Heritage Foundation against Hillarycare.

Romney: You did support an individual mandate?

Romney: Oh, OK. That’s what I’m saying. We got the idea from you and the Heritage Foundation.

Gingrich: OK. A little broader.

Romney: OK.

It turns out it was Stuart Butler, of the Heritage Foundation, who, clear back in 1989, put forward a plan that included an individual mandate to address the adverse selection problem (see page 6):

2) Mandate all households to obtain adequate insurance.

Many states now require passengers in automobiles to wear seatbelts for their own protection. Many others require anybody driving a car to have liability insurance. But neither the federal government nor any state requires all households to protect themselves from the potentially catastrophic costs of a serious accident or illness. Under the Heritage plan, there would be such a requirement.

He went on to write that the mandate would end the problem of "middle-class 'free riders'" mooching off society's sense of obligation (the adverse selection problem — don't buy insurance until you get sick).

[Bernard Marx]

Thanks. I’d forgotten that exchange. The Law of Unintended Consequences.

[1010RD]

eliminate the restrictions on buying insurance across state lines.

That's a good down payment. How about ending all restrictions about trading across state lines? America was meant to be one giant free trade zone. Bring back the Commerce Clause and use it.