Observations on the GOP's Health Care "Plan"

by our Facebook Friend, 'Roberto' Macdonald

Caught an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. He was questioned by CNN's Sanjay Gupta. Both men are surgeons.

Price was touting the latest version of a Republican "health care plan" (an essential component of which is "no plan"). The Republican plan does not include a "mandate". Price says that people should not be forced to buy health insurance if they do not want it. To do otherwise, Price argues, is unbecoming a free society.

Gupta asked if an uninsured person would be taken care of in case of an accident. Price's response was (in paraphrase), "Of course. We are a compassionate society." In a different context (food stamps, welfare), people who received the benefits of a "compassionate society" might be called "freeloaders", but not in the context of health insurance opt-outs!

Price wrapped up by proclaiming "everyone should have health insurance."

Price's "should", of course, speaks volumes: everyone "should" do what they ought to do, and "ought" to do what they should do, but no one "should" or "ought" to be compelled to do what they don't want to do. 

This is more than mere hypocrisy, which is an easy game to play. It's easy to find a reason to label someone a "hypocrite" for one reason or another. But the use of arguments like Price's essentially enshrine and codify hypocrisy. Price's arguments are not just slick, they're sick, which is a good metaphor in the context of the healthcare debate.

It is not possible to provide health care for everyone without a "mandate" in some form, either through taxes in a single-payer system, or through compulsory participation in an insurance-based system (which, Chief Justice Roberts tells us, amounts to a tax). 

It should be obvious to everyone that anything the Republicans come up with will not include a mandate and, thus, will not cover pre-existing conditions. Essentially, the country will revert to the previous "market-based" system which provided the best health care one could afford. 

Of course, they will claim to provide for pre-existing conditions through state-operated "high-risk pools". These pools work like this: those denied conventional coverage will go on a waiting list, because the high-risk funding is inadequate to cover everyone. Eventually, a small percentage of those on the waiting list will get coverage. For the rest, they'll get a handy little map with directions to the nearest emergency room.
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Tom Price is an uncompromising conservative, is a strong foe of abortion and Planned Parenthood, an Obamacare opponent and a supporter of efforts to privatize Medicare. Read more here.

The GOP American Health Care Act is Outrageous

From Indivisible Washington

Republicans are rushing to get their outrageous American Health Care Act (AHCA) through before the upcoming April recess, ignoring the normal legislative process, because they don’t want to face you, their constituents. They are moving forward even though we now know, from estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, that TrumpCare will lead to at least 24 million Americans losing their coverage, higher premiums for consumers, and a $600 billion tax break on the wealthy and corporations.

Members of Congress need to know that you reject TrumpCare. The bill the House will be voting on this Thursday would harm millions of Americans. It gives wealthy Americans, insurance companies, drug companies, and other corporations tax breaks. These tax cuts are paid for on the backs of poor and middle class Americans by dramatically scaling back the subsidies that low- and moderate-income families use to purchase affordable health care as well by gutting the Medicaid program.1 The changes to Medicaid financing would not only end Medicaid expansion but also jeopardize states’ long-term financing of the program and their ability to provide coverage to other populations who depend on the program—for example, children, the elderly, and the disabled.

Call your representative in the House and tell them to vote NO on TrumpCare. Tell them you oppose any plan that does not preserve the coverage gains and quality of care under the ACA. First, Do No Harm. Reject TrumpCare.

TrumpCare Details: The CBO score is in and (surprise, surprise!) TrumpCare is even worse than we feared

• 24 million Americans would lose coverage over the next 10 years—14 million in the first year alone
• 2 million Americans with employer-sponsored coverage would lose it by 2020; 7 million would lose it over 10 years
• Higher premiums, higher deductibles, and more out-of-pocket costs
• Insurance premiums would skyrocket by 20% by 2019
• $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid funding while giving rich Americans and corporations a $592 billion tax cut

Call NOW and tell your members of Congress that you oppose the AHCA. Go here to see scripts you can use, if you'd like. Then go to the Indivisible Facebook page and post your experience.

I just finished talking with "Andrew" in Rep Dan Newhouse's office (202-225-516). He was very pleasant and promised to pass on my comments.

And keep sending in those postcards!

Statement by Derek Kilmer (D-WA6)

The debate about repealing the Affordable Care Act is neither disconnected nor distant – it’s about people. Real people who will suffer real consequences if the Republican repeal plan were to pass. 

• It’s about the breast cancer survivor in Gig Harbor who told me that she's only here because of treatment she received through the Medicaid expansion. 
• It’s about the mom in Tacoma who was able to make sure that her daughter's bi-polar disorder was treated by keeping her on the family's insurance plan until she was 26. 
• It’s about all of the seniors I represent that will face premium costs up to 5 times more than younger individuals under the repeal plan.
• It’s about the 24 million Americans expected to lose their insurance under the Trumpcare plan and for every person who will see their insurance premiums rise – on average 10-15 percent.
• It’s about women. One in every five women in our country have gotten care from Planned Parenthood, and they may lose access to mammograms, cancer screenings, and primary care if this bill passes.
• It’s about the 1.3 million people who have received treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders who may lose access to those vital services under this bill.
• And it’s about the people who will lose access to preventive services from our public health departments because this misguided bill completely eliminates the Center for Disease Control’s Prevention and Public Health Fund.

It’s for all of these people that I will vote no.
There is still plenty we need to do to improve our healthcare system. There are positive changes that can be made to the Affordable Care Act. In fact, I've proposed changes to the law to improve rural health care, enhance affordability for small businesses, and strengthen primary care. 

But Trumpcare doesn't represent progress. Asking people to pay more for less heath care coverage is a move backward.  

Please know that I will keep fighting the fight for the folks I represent. As always, I’m honored to represent you.
- Derek

Hope on Climate Change Action -- from Republicans!

GOP All-Stars Present Carbon Tax Plan to Trump Team: A coalition of top Republican leaders - including James Baker, Hank Paulson, George Shultz, Martin Feldstein, and Greg Mankiw - will present a comprehensive plan to establish a carbon tax and combat the causes of climate change to White House senior leadership today. The plan, which marks a rare instance of the GOP taking the lead on proposing climate solutions, will be accompanied by an economy-wide analysis showing how the plan would lower carbon emissions twice as fast as all of the Obama-era climate regulations combined by 2025 and meet the Paris climate agreement targets. The plan includes jettisoning of significant regulations, including the Clean Power Plan, and earned a quick endorsement from Mitt Romney. A copy of the plan is available here; the leadership team will host a press conference at the National Press Club at 9:30 AM this morning. (New York Times $, Washington Post $, CNN, AP, Bloomberg, Axios, FT $. Commentary: New York Times, Martin Feldstein, Gregory Mankiw, and Ted Halstead op-ed $, WSJ, George Shultz and James Baker op-ed $)