Posted on 05/26/2015 10:59:57 AM PDT by GIdget2004
Preparing for a Supreme Court decision that could strike down Obamacare’s subsidies for nearly 7.5 million people this summer, Senate Republicans are coalescing around a plan to resurrect them — at a steep price for the White House.
With several Senate Republicans facing tough reelections, and control of the chamber up for grabs, 31 senators have signed on to a bill written by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) that would restore the subsidies for current Obamacare enrollees through September 2017. But the administration would have to pay a heavy price — the bill would also repeal Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates and insurance coverage requirements.
“In that moment of what could be political chaos, we’re offering such a reasonable proposal that solves a mess,” Johnson said. “It fixes a mess caused by a sloppily written law, unlawfully implemented. All we’re asking for is a little bit of freedom back, which would be, I think, pretty popular,” Johnson said. Even Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is backing Johnson’s measure, along with the rest of the chamber’s GOP leaders.
Johnson, who’s got a tight race in 2016, says the legislation would be a bridge to ensure that consumers can keep the insurance they have — a promise that President Barack Obama was widely criticized for breaking in 2014.
But even if Johnson could somehow persuade Obama and Senate Democrats to accept his plan — a herculean task — the bigger problem will be his Republican colleagues in the House.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
"this crap" is the closest thing to a full repeal of Obamacare as is possible with Obama still in office, unless you believe enough Democrats would ever vote to override a veto of an actual full repeal (spoiler: they won't).
Which Senator?
hmmm.....a small carrot traded for a very very big stick?
Someone give me the argument for this...
I understand letting it crumble is good.
But, I also understand that getting rid of individual and employer mandates would ALSO let it crumble.....
At least I find this interesting.
AnyRepublican who votes FOR this crap, IS MY ENEMY !
I think the general idea is that Obama and the ‘rats will be over a barrel if/when the subsidies are deemed illegal, and that they’ll have to accept just about any deal to keep any part of the ACA alive.
If that is a correct assessment, the “brass ring” is the gutting of the worst aspects of the ACA - the participation and coverage mandates, and the rest is just mop-up work if a Republican is elected in 2017.
If the Democrats refuse to take the deal, the GOP can point out that they offered to extend the subsidies, but that the ‘rats held them up for partisan purposes. It’s a little riskier, because the GOP isn’t good at this game, and the ‘rats can possibly flip this as the GOP holding the subsidies hostage.
Still, there are two general positive outcomes: the GOP actually gets concessions that essentially destroy the core of the ACA, or the removal of the subsidies creates a huge public outcry against the ADA (with possible GOP collateral damage).
The only way this isn’t a “win” is if the GOP just postures, but then folds. Unfortunately, this is too likely of a possibility for me to get in any way excited about this possibility.
So, you’re against removing the individual mandate, the employer mandate, and the coverage requirements of Obamacare?
Good to know.
If the mandate is taken away, that will defeat Obamacare. People who want health insurance can then go to private insurance companies and only get the coverage they want.
People really need to think in terms of tangible results, rather than the most satisfying option here.
Sure, it would have given a lot of people great satisfaction to send Al Capone away for murder, conspiracy, etc. But, realistically and practically, it was tax evasion that got the job done.
Killing the individual mandate knocks the stool out from underneath ObamaCare, putting it into a death spiral.
However, even that is unlikely to happen. Instead the Senate GOP will try to pass a plan that has zero hope of passing the House, but the Democrats will filibuster it anyways. So status quo (aka, you get the “natural” collapse you are asking for) and the obstructionist Senate Democrats get to eat the blame going into 2016.
This isn’t helping the Democrats - they won’t support this. Obama probably won’t sign it either. This is destroying the governments ability to MANDATE your health care, which is what the Democrats wanted and what Obama wants. It leaves a tiny shred of the law in place, but toothless.
Now I agree it would be good to let it fall under its own weight.....and I agree that this Congress doesn’t have the stones it takes to do that, and I’m not sure the American public does either.
However, this will make the law leave you alone. That should be your main concern. It isn’t....obviously....for whatever reason....since conservatives are supposed to want to be left alone.
“the bill would also repeal Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates and insurance coverage requirements”
the very causes of the high taxpayer costs for many of the subsidies
minus the mandates, many plans would be offered that would not require the subsidies and would require lower subsidies for people at or below medicaid income levels
Agree. You cannot believe or trust the GOP.
When 2016 rolls around ask yourself: what have they done that they said they would do? The GOP wants our money and our votes, but not our principles.
Just vote for more republicans! That’ll solve everything! /s
“the bill would also repeal Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates and insurance coverage requirements”
Stupid RINOs. The only way Obamacare might pay for itself, or at least try to, is to force healthy people to pay for insurance.
This ‘fix’ will just cost the taxpayers more- it will keep up the freebies so where would the money come from?
“I’ve paid enough in taxes the past few years to buy a couple of heart transplants. I’m ready to start getting something for my “investment”. Full disclosure... I’m 55 years old.”
Here’s our plan, after seeing my husband work 60 hours a week at a job dealing with the fascist restrictions on private companies, paying more in taxes than most people live on, and finally, my calculating that if he works until 67 he will pay over $100,000 into social security- $200K if you count his emoloyer’s portion- he will only net $40,000 if he lives to 85 - quit full-time work, keep our MAGI under $20k so we pay no taxes after the standard deduction and exemptions, live a simple life learning self-suffiency skills son when the $18T debt destroys the country, we are ready.
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