Thursday, June 22, 2017

Conservative Senators demand REAL REFORM to McConnell's phony Obamacare-lite

Oh boy...here we go...

Well, McConnell released his staffers' 'draft bill' of Obamacare-lite today and as expected, POS! 
TRS: Legislative wizard Daniel Horowitz has been pouring through new Senate healthcare bill and doesn’t really like anything he sees. He’s been tweeting his thoughts and I’ve posted them down below for you to digest:
And those are just the first 3 out of 22 tweets! Here's a couple others that had me shaking my head with the same 'what the hell are they thinking' sentiment...
Thankfully, several GOP Senators have announced their opposition to McConnell's draft in its current state...
TRS: Senator Rand Paul has just released a statement on Twitter announcing his opposition with Senators Cruz, Lee, and Johnson.

This is a joint statement:
Sen. Cruz: "...as currently drafted, this bill draft does not do nearly enough to lower premiums. That should be the central issue for Republicans – repealing Obamacare and making healthcare more affordable. Because of this, I cannot support it as currently drafted, and I do not believe it has the votes to pass the Senate."


Related links: “I cannot support it” — Ted Cruz releases STATEMENT on the Senate healthcare bill
WATCH: Ted Cruz speaks to reporters about the Senate Healthcare bill… [FULL PRESSER]
Ted Cruz shops one-and-done bill to repeal and replace Obamacare

Now you know precisely why these conservative Senators must announce their opposition to the bill: It’s the only way to force these deadbeat RINOs to make the bill BETTER! And it should be more than just these four. If it doesn't even fix the underlying problems with healthcare cost, then what's the damn point, McConnell? Republicans, we need more than window dressing in this new administration. Less government; more free market. We need ACTION in REAL REFORM!

Related link: GOP senators oppose Swampcare

 ADDENDUM: More on this draft via Shapiro...
DW: So, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done precisely what everyone expected: he has unveiled a watered-down version of the already weak House Republican Trumpcare bill. The bill is actually so weak that even Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber is chortling that it doesn’t actually repeal Obamacare.

That’s because it doesn’t.

That doesn’t mean that every provision is bad. It does mean that the bill does little or nothing to lower premiums, undermines the solvency of insurance companies, and makes changes to Medicaid so far down the road that they may never materialize.

Here’s what you need to know:
  1. The Bill Retains Obamacare’s Core Regulatory Scheme.
  2. The Bill Re-Enshrines Subsidies to Insurance Companies.
  3. The Bill Provides New Entitlements For Middle-Income Americans.
  4. The Bill Dramatically Alters Medicaid…Down The Road.
  5. The Bill Defunds Planned Parenthood…For One Year.
  6. The Individual Mandate And Taxes Disappear.
As always, once Republicans accept the political premise of Democratic policy, they merely become Democrats in disguise. The biggest problem here is that by owning Democrat-lite policy, that disguise is ripped away, and Republicans will now be blamed for whatever comes next.

Already, several conservative senators including Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have said they cannot support this bill. It remains to be seen whether Republicans will cave to public pressure the way so many House conservatives did, or whether they actually demand repeal.
FYI, that sixth bulletpoint would be good, except that by retaining Obamacare’s regulations and getting rid of the mandate, the Republican plan exacerbates the Obamacare death spiral!

Related link: The GOP's Obamacare: Out: Repeal & replace. In: Copy & paste.
Posted by an ebb and flow at 5:14 PM