Posted on 03/08/2017 4:57:36 PM PST by Twotone
From the moment the GOP released the American Health Care Act, the first iteration of what will evolve into Obamacare repeal and replace legislation, conservatives have been griping. The editors of Investor’s Business Daily sum up the general reaction of the right thus: “Republicans have labored to produce plan that replaces ObamaCare with…. ObamaCare.” Interestingly, the editorial goes on to refute this argument by listing the bill’s positive attributes, including repeal of the law’s individual mandate, employer mandate, countless hidden taxes, and its expansion of HSAs. Yet IBD’s editors conclude that it “supports all the key elements of Obamacare.”
This is nonsense. Indeed, to employ an old aphorism, it makes the perfect the enemy of the good. This viewpoint is not merely unrealistic about what the Republicans can accomplish, considering their narrow margin in the Senate, but it actually reduces the chances that a repeal bill will ever reach the President’s desk. Here’s a little reality check for conservatives and libertarians who fantasize about “going back” to free market medicine — we haven’t had anything resembling a free health care market since World War II and we will never have one. Why? The public doesn’t really want one. What the voters really want is cheap, accessible care — any way they can get it.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
“Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good” is a favorite of mine. But it looks like the new GOP bill is a difference without a distinction.
I think the people preexisting exemptions should be grandfathered in and after say six months to a year after the bill is passed, go cold turkey and begin offering traditional insurance where you pay money in before you get sick.
No, if it collapses, then that's on the Dems. No Republican voted for Obamacare.
It’s going to collapse. If we go with socialized medicine now, we are destined for single payer. I do not want the next Obama to have that life or death power over me! Stand firm. Repeal will be easier next year if we can’t get a decent bill this year. A repeal should be a rejection of federal control, or there is no point in the repeal.
Of they do nothing the Obamacare death spiral will play out. Next year there will be no insurers.
Please remember that the USSC was supposed to have saved us from Obamacare two years ago. How did that work out?
I WILL NEVER forget how STUNNED I was at Roberts ruling it took my breath away!!!! Just SHOCKED!!! This was so HUGE to find we actually had been betrayed by someone put on the bench by Bush!!! NOW it actually doesn’t surprise me at all!!
Sometime, maybe now, the public must be told there is no free lunch. And if you do not believe that then we can all go bankrupt.
My understanding is that a full repeal requires 60 votes and we only have 52, but this 3 part fix and replace is done as reconciliation bills which require 51 votes.
That why they are doing it this way. I can except this as a necessary bitter pill.
For the love of God, somebody please explain to me why full repeal would require 60 votes when it was passed with 51? What the hell?
It was passed with 60 votes. All new bills require 60 votes and a clean repeal would be a new bill, so 60 votes.
But they can slowly gut it using reconciliation bills and pass them with 51 votes.
Or we need 8 Democrat defectors.
Well, dont I feel stupid? I never realized it passed with 60 votes. That changes everything. S#!+
No, the insurance lobby won't get its way by fearmongering. If insurance companies can't compete in a free market, then other insurance companies will emerge who can.
S#!+ is exactly the right word.
Keep your promise for once, repubs. You will become the Whigs if you don’t.
“No, if it collapses, then that’s on the Dems”
That sounds great in theory.
One more constitutionalist would overwhelm the others. And maybe even Roberts is having second thoughts, now that Zero isn’t around to blackmail him.
So it’s either Ryan’s POS bill, or nothing? Then I’ll take nothing, please!
I completely agree. They need to repeal by reconciliation and then present each single aspect as a separate bill and vote on it. Via reconciliation. The visibility will give the conservatives to visibility destroy non free market tyranny.
Interesting idea. I’ve got another - most insurance contracts run on an annual basis. What would be improper about allowing the free market to reign, and allow people to re-new, or not re-new the following year. Oklahoma law (and most states are the same) makes illegal for an insurance company to cancel a policy post injury/illness. That was part of the risk undertaken by the Company. For example, if I develop a condition during the insured period, the Company remains liable under terms of the policy as long as I continue to pay premiums.
Your thoughts?
I have empathy for those with preexisting conditions, but I don’t believe it’s the taxpayers responsibility, nor the duty of the federal government. A wise candidate (I think from Iowa) once said that a state’s job (not the federal government) is to educate, incarcerate, and medicate. I think he was correct. Health insurance (mistakenly referred to as healthcare) is best regulated by the states.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.