Posted on 03/05/2015 11:29:31 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
And now, Ted Cruz has offered an alternative to Obamacare. And it’s, uh, better than a tattoo of Winston Churchill.
Ted Cruz cares about people in need. Stop laughing. Okay, you can laugh a little.
The Texas right-wing firebrand (by way of Calgary, Canada) unveiled his alternative to Obamacare on Tuesday. I guess we can call it "Cruzcare" or maybe even, "TeddyCare." You see, Cruz is apparently deeply concerned about the 7.5 million Americans in 36 states who might lose federal government subsidies now provided by Obamacare to buy health insurance in a few months. That very scenario could happen if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration in the case of King v. Burwell that was heard by the Court yesterday.
But believing that Cruz cares about anything other than getting headlines and anyone other than his far-right base is like believing Justin Bieber cares about the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
That’s why I can’t help but be very suspicious when Cruz says he wants to help people in need. I mean, just look at this guy’s track record. He was so obsessed with killing Obamacare and stripping the benefits it provides for millions of Americans that he led the charge in 2013 to shut down the government in an effort to defund the health care law. He even famously performed a one-man show on the floor of the Senate (aka a filibuster) where he railed against Obamacare. Although on the upside, during the filibuster he did read one of my favorite books, Green Eggs and Ham.
He not only fiercely opposes Obama’s proposed immigration reform that would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, he even opposes deferring deportations of Dreamers, the children of undocumented immigrants, apparently preferring they be dumped outside of the borders of our country. Add to that, Cruz bragged during his 2012 successful run for Senate that he championed the execution of a Mexican “illegal alien” while he was Texas’s Solicitor General.
This is the same Cruz who has shown little compassion for those in poverty. He has even been a leader in the fight to prevent an increase in the federal minimum wage.
But now Cruz, whose own health benefits are bestowed through his wife’s policy thanks to her great position at Goldman Sachs, tells us he wants to help those Americans who might no longer be able to afford health insurance.
So what has Cruz offered? Well, to his credit, he actually drafted a piece of legislation, titled the “Health Care Choice Act of 2015.” (PDF) This is in contrast to 2014 when Cruz promised a detailed Obamacare alternative and only gave us a tattoo of Winston Churchill. I’m not kidding. While on Fox News last April, when asked about his health care plan, Cruz responded by rolling up his right sleeve and revealing a new tattoo on his forearm of Winston Churchill. It turned out to be a faux tattoo since it was April Fools Day. But Cruz was not kidding when it came to a lack of a plan.
This time, though, Cruz has offered specifics. Well, sorta. It’s a little hard to take his 26-page bill seriously when it is intended to replace the nearly 1,000-page Obamacare law.
So what does the Cruz plan offer? Well, it repeals most, not all of Obamacare, such as the personal mandate. Although in a statement released Tuesday, Cruz made it clear he’s as obsessed as ever that "every last word of Obamacare must be repealed.”
The way Cruz’s plan will work is to allow people to buy health insurance across state lines. I get in theory that could translate into lower premiums given the increased competition. Some health care experts dispute that hypothesis. Others warn of a “race to the bottom” because once one state lowered rates by cutting services offered, other states might start to do the same. But even assuming Cruz’s idea has merit, how can a person who doesn’t have the money to afford even those lower rates without a subsidy secure coverage?
This is especially worrisome for those who now receive subsidies but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. That gap already exists for some and it would likely become worse under Cruz’s plan, callously resulting in millions losing health insurance for themselves and their families.
Even some of Cruz’s fellow Republican recognize this very problem. To remedy this, three GOP senators, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), proposed a plan that provides temporary subsidies so that people in need can “keep the coverage they picked for a transitional period.” As these senators noted in a March 1 op-ed they penned for The Washington Post, “It would be unfair to allow families to lose their coverage, particularly in the middle of the year.”
But Cruz’s plan—unsurprisingly— doesn’t offer that safety net. Why would it? It would in effect be recognizing the benefits of Obamacare and just as importantly, it might piss off some of Cruz’s right-wing fans.
The Cruz plan has no chance of becoming law. But it gives you even more insight into what Cruz means when he says he wants to help people in need. You would think as someone born in Canada he would be a little more compassionate? Perhaps he has just been living in Texas too long.
Why bother posting such drivel from a far Left-wing source? Know thine enemy???
Seriously? Your anger is aimed firmly at the wrong target. Point your finger at the illegals and the politicians who support them for ALL of your complaints outlined in that pile of bovine excrement you posted...
Discussion. What the left is thinking. They’ll tell you who they fear by who (and how) they cover the candidates. Imagine this article written about Jeb Bush. You can’t, can you?
read
You expect a propagandist to print the truth?
I agree about the length. We could probably do with a one pager though which would allow for portable individual policies at any coverage level of individual’s choice with any insurance carrier they desired.
States would have option of funding basic medical services provided by an M.D. for people unable to afford to pay for their own coverage within their own state.
Empoyers would have option of subsidizing any portion of the cost for their employee’s coverage should they so desire.
What more do we need?
I haven’t contacted his office- I said I contacted the previous GOP candidates, romeny’s office, McCain, sarah’s rick’s etc- I was basically asking where they stood, and why they were not standing up for the most vulnerable I n this country- It’s funny our government can find all kinds of money for illegals, for terrorists nations, yet our seniors, disabled, and eterans are going hungry, can’t afford heating oil etc- My only somment about Ted was in response to this thread- I’m quesitroning IF he really does care- because NOTHING is beign done to relieve the deplorable conditions many of our citizens who are most vulnerable have to live with- It is NOT unreasonable to ask ALL candidates this question- not sure why you’re so defensive over the question I asked?
[[You impugned Ted Cruz, not some nameless congressman,]]
For crying out loud- reread my post- I called them ALL out- Dems and GOP-
And are you suggesting that questioning a possible GOP candidate is off limits o n this site? Really? ARe you threatening to have me zotted for doing so? Apparently I must have missed the part of the rules of engagement that stated all questions to Ted Cruz were off limits in this forum!
and for your information, I WILL vote for Ted- or ANY of the frontrunners that I think have a chance of winning but I don’t believe it unreasonable to call EVERY candidate to the carpet for the deplorable conditions many face I nthis country!
grow up!
where is cruz, where is paul, where is santorum, where is Romney standing up and repeatedly asking on national television why money is being funneled into illegals when we have so many people I n this country hurting badly who can’t even afford the basics in life- MANY aliens are raking in as much as $45000 a year raping the system while many seniors, veterans and disabled get by on the bare minimum- under $10,000 a year- and congress twiddles their thumbs and acts like nothing is wrong-
The GOP may not be directly supporting the illegals like the left are, however, their failure to oppose- seriously oppose the laws that allow illegals ot have free education, free welfare, driver’s licenses on and on it goes- There4 are many things senators can be doing to actually oppose the left like refusing to accept the new rules- not taking government money as a bribe to support it- banding together like they did years ago to oppose a federal law that was unconstitutional- (which they successfully defeated the bill because of the pressure they put on the feds trying to enforce the rule) refuse to fund etc- Surrounding states could have got behind Jan Brewer and supported her, but EVERY one of them tucked tail and ran- no one supported Sherrif Arayipo (spelling)0- etc etc-
Our representatives are hired to represent us- yet it’s becoming painfully clear that is not the case so much any longer- /No sir ! My dismay is NOT aimed at the wrong people- Sorry if the fact that I don’t just blindly support someone no questions asked bothers you-
[[You impugned Ted Cruz, not some nameless congressman,]]
Good golly, I asked a question- ‘impugned’ lol- chill bill-
I simply asked a question, which by the way, I note you didn’t bother to try to answer, and instead went on the ‘attack’ threatening? to have me zotted? Really? Wow- quite defensive there!
IF Ted is actively trying to help disabled, vets, elderly and actively trying to defund all the law’s that have been instated by the president’s executive orders, and by states passing laws without bringing them ot a vote, then yeah- I’ll gladly throw more support behind him- at I’m at this time not aware of any actions such as that (aside from promise to ‘repeal the amnesty bill’)
I realize Ted is doing a LOT- I understand that and appreciate it, yet I AM troubled by many in congress who show support for certain leftist ideals and mandates and laws etc by not taking a serious stand against them- people like Mcconnel, boaner, Mccain etc- I’m simply not seeing the ‘voice I n the wilderness’ as it were- that I was hoping to see- Yes Ted is much much stronger than most candidates, and I’ll likely- Very likely vote for him should he become front runner- but I am still allowed, last I checked, to be a bit concerned about certain issues- If that;s ok with you?
Not really .. but I do plan on writing the TRUTH after they have posted a LIE .. a BIG LIE.
“It’s a little hard to take his 26-page bill seriously when it is intended to replace the nearly 1,000-page Obamacare law.”
The government is best that governs least.
Your post is bittersweet. I am depressed that we have come so far from the ideals of Churchill and Reagan.
Dean Obey De Allah? Oooooookay.
Sorry, the author needs to keep up. 1,000 pages was the 1st house bill, when the Senate finished with it the bill was 2,000.
By the time the Secretary "had deemed" it was 10,000 pages in no time and who knows how big the stack is by now.
Only a liberal idiot would believe that any big government program actually helps people.
Not only do people need to be able to buy health insurance across state lines, but there must be an end to all the mandates forced on insurance companies by legislators giving various lobbying groups what they want. If someone wants basic, no frills insurance that covers only what they need, then they should be able to buy it.
I know I will not see a chiropractor or a podiatrist but my insurance provider is forced to cover those treatments. I am willing to take my chances I won’t need to see a shrink, so why should I pay extra so others can see one once a week? (Besides, my kids say I’m a bit loony now, so it’s too late to fix that.)
Health insurance used to be called hospitalization, because it covered only major expenses, just like any real insurance does. We need less insurance, not more. And we really need government to get out of health care and insurance, but that won’t happen.
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