Republicans Determined to Pass AHCA, But Hurdles Grow

Michigan Representative Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), a respected moderate Republican lawmaker came out against the latest iteration of the GOP American Health Care Act (AHCA), throwing another hurdle in the way of Paul Ryan's all out push to get the measure passed. Upton said the AHCA in its latest iteration would undermine insurance protections the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the current law, gives people with pre-existing illnesses, a view disputed by supporters of the legislation.

The Detroit Free Press writes,

"Under Obama’s 2010 law, insurers may not charge seriously ill customers higher premiums than healthy ones. The latest revised GOP bill bars insurers from limiting access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. But states can obtain federal waivers letting insurers raise premiums on people with pre-existing illnesses, though only if the customer has let their coverage lapse during the previous year. The state must also have a high-risk pool or another mechanism to help such people afford a policy. Supporters of the GOP legislation say it protects people with pre-existing conditions and that the exclusion would affect only a small proportion of them. Opponents say it diminishes their protections by letting insurers charge unaffordable prices. They also say high-risk pools have a mixed record of effectiveness, often because the government money provided to finance them proves inadequate."

Speaker Ryan and other GOP House leaders are working with reluctant members to try pushing the AHCA measure through before the end of this week.

For 4th CD voters, Rep Dan Newhouse may be contacted via form email, or telephone ((202) 225-5816).

Please don't harangue Rep. Newhouse about his wife's illness. Just say your piece about why you oppose GOP efforts to repeal the ACA and replace it with an inferior measure.

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!