Scarborough: Pulling Health Insurance Bill Would be Best for GOP
“Sometimes when you lose, you win.”
Should conservatives be rooting for the health care bill to pass the House today, or be defeated or withdrawn? Joe Scarborough made an interesting observation today, quoting the late Senator Paul Simon at the end of his career on the biggest lesson he had learned: “sometimes when you win, you lose. And sometimes when you lose, you win.”
Scarborough pointed to the way Democrats whooped it up when they “won” on Obamacare in 2010 . . . and proceeded to experience six years of political “hell,” losing 1,000 seats across the country. Opined Scarborough, “I think the best thing that could happen is this bill goes down today. Actually, that they pull it. Let them start renegotiating from the very beginning, do it the right way and move on to tax reform, something that will unite all conservatives.
What do readers think? I have yet to hear a single voice expressing unbridled enthusiasm for this bill. The best case for it was probably made in this Wall Street Journal editorial, but even there, it was described only as a “realistic compromise.”
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Comments
What a stupid idiot. The only loser in this mess is us. I am getting nail with HC premiums that are more than my house payment. Before major medical kicks in I am 30K in the hole, then am still on the hook for 20% (if it is a provider in the system)
The GOP is just as stupid about this and do not get it. I was having this conservation with other small business owners and independent contracts and they have the same issue. I was listening on the radio that I fit in the 5% grouping. When I was a company man, I say the same increase but it did not cut in to my bottom line because the companies picked it up.
No matter what happens I loose. Just like I lost with the default mortgage payouts. I paid my mortgage on time and stayed within my budget an did not buy new cars and things on my mortgage. My neighbor was 150 K over his assessed value on his mortgage and was able to get government help. Because he borrowed at peak, his leveraged amount was closer to 250 K. In the end, I help pay for this idiot and the stupid banks bad decision to loan him money.
Please get the government out of my life. Any chance I have to save some money for retire and send the kids to college are fading fast. I understand now why assisted suicide is in the bill.
Suppose you have two vats. One contains wine (representing the free market) and the other contains raw sewage (representing Obamacare). Compromise is taking one part wine and mixing it with two parts of sewage, then drinking it down.
Much of ACA’s damage can be corrected through de-regulation, even without repealing the act. Remember, ACA doesn’t require everyone to have insurance, it requires them to have “adequate” insurance, as defined by the Secretary of HHS. If Tom Price lowers the definition of “adequate” enough, costs go down and much of the damage is removed. Repeal is a political issue, but as a practical matter, it isn’t really necessary. They could pull the bill and still achieve 80% of their goal.
Ever since the Democrats rammed the Obamacare disaster through, they’ve been trying to cajole the Republicans into a commitment to “fix” it. The Dems could then claim that O’care was “bipartisan”. The next step is obvious to anyone accustomed to the Democrat modus operandi: blame the R’s for its failure.
I can’t see anybody but Ryan falling for a trap like that.
Medical insurance is hugely complex. The idea that 535 reps are going to negotiate this in a few weeks and come up with something workable is laughable. It takes insurance companies with experience years to develop sound policies.
On top of that, they want to allow people to stay at the trough so they don’t lose voters. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Having the GOP also responsible for the disaster that medical insurance is right now would be unnecessary. Trump says this is it, Obamacare stays. Well, I see no reason why the GOP can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Go on to taxes and the budget and also work on a better medical insurance bill. This is what Americans deserve.
And, we were promised REPEAL. Not this Frankensteinian mess.
About the AHCA, as originally written and as it stands now. It is a load of excrement that would provide no significant relief, or any relief for that matter, for the average consumer. Wealthy investors get a break. Business owners, including small business owners, get a break. Those people who simply do not intend to ever buy health insurance get a break [though if they change their minds later and apply for health insurance they pay 30% more than others]. People who work and want or need health insurance continue to get shafted. There is nothing in this legislation which will reduce healthcare or health premium costs. If these people qualify for expanded Medicaid, then their neighbors pay for their healthcare. The expanded Premium Tax Credit allows these people to receive a subsidy for health insurance premiums, even if they do not purchase insurance through an exchange.
Expanded Medicaid is a drain on federal money. The Premium Tax Credit is a drain on federal money. Elimination of the 3% investment tax is a drain on potential federal money. And, finally, all the rules and regulations, which are not addressed by this legislation and have not been rescinded or modified, continue to keep the costs to consumers elevated.
The AHCA is going to be the GOP’s Obamacare.
The fact that Trump has gotten sucked into this is disappointing. There does not appear to be any tactical or strategic reason to ally himself with this bill. It does not satisfy his campaign promise to to repeal and replace the ACA nor does it satisfy his promise of universal health insurance coverage [these are mutually exclusive unless the federal government becomes a single payer health insurance writer]. And, it puts him at odds with his base while putting little pressure on Congress to deliver anything meaningful. Trump, either personally of at the urging of his advisers, fell into the trap laid by the leadership of a do-nothing Congress. He is only human, of course. But, it is too bad that it happened.
What would be best is to bring out the very repeal bill that passed the House and Senate last January and put it on Trump’s desk. Once Obamacare is totally dead, start fixing things one thing at a time. Anything “comprehensive” should be code-word for big government intervention.
The GOP should pass repeal now, but make it effective October 1, 2018. Then, immediately start trying to pass acceptable replacement(s).
Either the replacement(s) pass, or the Democrats block them.
Take either outcome to the voters, and let them decide which party to reward or punish in the midterms.
First time I’ve really agreed with this bozo on his clown show.
It would show a far cry more prudence and willingness to be frank with America than the Ocare double down we got from Pelosi with passing out to find out what’s in it.