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Trump Health Care Tag

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on May 05, 2017 15 Comments
When did the word "optics" enter the political lexicon? In any case, the Morning Joe crew today ripped the look of the Republican Rose Garden ceremony of yesterday at which President Trump and House members celebrated the passage of their health care bill. Donny Deutsch said they were "a bunch of fat, middle-aged, rich white guys." When Willie Geist mentioned that Mika had said that the photo looked like a golf course ribbon cutting, Joe Scarborough interjected: "it's a country club with restrictive membership. Obviously, you have to be white, and a male, to be there."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 04, 2017 85 Comments
The House voted to repeal Obamacare Thursday afternoon. And by a slim vote -- 217 to 213, the American Healthcare Act passed. Prior to the final tally being read aloud, some legislatures began singing:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 03, 2017 28 Comments
So, the breaking news is that the House will vote tomorrow, Thursday, the 4th day of May, in the year 2017, to "repeal and replace" Obamacare. The NY Times reports:
House Republican leaders planned to hold a showdown vote Thursday on their bill to repeal and replace large portions of the Affordable Care Act after adding $8 billion to the measure to help cover insurance costs for people with pre-existing conditions.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 28, 2017 19 Comments
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has faced scandal after scandal, some of which caused veterans to die while waiting for care. There was even a dentist putting veterans at risk for HIV. But the VA has also punished those who blow the whistle on VA wrong doings. President Trump took a step in the right direction to fix these problems when he signed an executive order that creates the "Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection" at the VA.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 14, 2017 12 Comments
After the healthcare reform failed before it even reached the floor, President Donald Trump wanted to move onto tax reform. But he recently told The Wall Street Journal that he wants to return to healthcare:
Three weeks later, he said he is determined to resurrect the health-care bill even if it means delaying the tax overhaul, telling The Wall Street Journal in an interview: “I want to get health care done…I think I will get it done.” The tax overhaul, he said, would have to wait.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 13, 2017 13 Comments
President Donald Trump signed the H.J. Res. 43 bill that allows states to deny funds to clinics like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions. The Senate passed the bill last month when Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 11, 2017 11 Comments
Midterms are 18 months away, but groups on both sides have planned ads to target vulnerable Republicans over the failure to repeal or reform healthcare. Congress has begun its recess, which has led groups like Save My Care to release ads. The group has spent $1 million on TV spots this month "that highlight the members’ support for the GOP health-care plan that now stands in limbo in the House." But conservative groups have also planned ads "against moderate Republicans" they placed blame on "for the holdup on an ObamaCare repeal bill."

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 04, 2017 27 Comments
Vice President Mike Pence has been conducting meetings with lawmakers over a new Obamacare repeal plan Tuesday as the House scrambles to clean up the last healthcare failure. Unfortunately, it does not look like that the tide will turn anytime soon. While talks include seeking out provisions to appease hard-line conservatives, moderates may now push back.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 26, 2017 38 Comments
The GOP healthcare bill AHCA failed before Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) could even bring it to the floor. Of course, the Democrats have used this opportunity to gloat and take credit on television, even though they hold the minority in the House and Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi led the charge.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on March 14, 2017 13 Comments
If you haven't seen OMB Director Mick Mulvaney in action, do yourself a favor and watch the video here. On today's Morning Joe, Mulvaney showed himself to be smart, well-spoken, undefensive and down-to-earth as he systematically demolished Mika's, and by extension, the CBO's, claims about the Trump admin's health care proposal. Before Mulvaney appeared, the panel had engaged in extended hand-wringing over the loss of coverage that the CBO has projected. Mulvaney made three telling points:

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 14, 2017 12 Comments
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released its analysis of the House Republican Obamacare replacement bill, which estimates that millions will lose coverage, but will bring down costs. The report has many people freaked out, with some saying its proof that repealing Obamacare will harm Americans. Most major media outlets and Democrats have failed to mention that many of those would "lose" coverage will do so because they choose to opt out. The AHCA repeals one of Obamacare's worst features -- the individual mandate.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 12, 2017 41 Comments
"Repeal and replace" has been the GOP mantra since the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, was signed into law in 2010. Riding the wave of horror and outrage that inspired millions of Americans to rise up and rally, attend town halls, and become involved in the election process, the GOP has enjoyed enormous gains not only at the federal but at the state and local level across the nation.  They all understand how important this moment is to the Republican party, and they all comprehend that they have one chance to get this right. What is not clear is how much they get about the need for substantive changes to those parts of ObamaCare they can tackle with only a simple majority in the Senate.  As the prof noted, they are somewhat restricted in what they can do unilaterally; without a supermajority in the Senate, there are parts of ObamaCare that cannot be "fixed" via budget reconciliation.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 11, 2017 5 Comments
I don't know Dr. Tom Taylor. But I understand his situation when he decided to attend Republican Congressman Tom Reed's town hall this morning in Ithaca, NY, where I work at Cornell Law School. In case you were unaware, Ithaca is like Berkeley, California, only smaller. Ithaca is in the NY-23 District. Reed has won in landslides the last two elections against Democratic challengers backed by national money. While no one is a sure thing, he is in a very strong position in this mostly conservative district. Ithaca is an anomaly in the District. In fact, Reed twice ran campaigns lambasting "Extreme Ithaca Liberals." This ad against Martha Robertson in 2014 irked many Ithaca progressives:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 08, 2017 54 Comments
I haven't had a chance to fully digest the House health care bill.  I'm just beginning the process of learning more. Trump supports the bill broadly, subject to some negotiations. And is promising a round 2 and round 3 of more market-oriented reforms. It appears that much of this procedure is driven by the desire to repeal Obamacare as a technical matter by the means through which it was passed -- the "reconciliation" process. That avoids the possibility of a Senate filibuster by Democrats, but also limits what can be done. I've seen many of the statements rejecting the bill, even if modified somewhat, from the conservative side (I've tuned out what Democrats are complaining about). The overall point, as I take it, is that the House bill institutionalizes the key concept of Obamacare - that the federal government not markets will drive health care.
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