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Republican Misopedia: Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure

Republican House Members today passed a health care bill that betrays every promise Republicans made. It will "cover fewer people, charge higher premiums, raise copayments, and raise deductibles."

It takes money allotted for health insurance for the poor and converts it into tax cuts for the rich. [More...]

It eliminates a 3.8 percent tax that applied to capital gains, dividend, and interest income for families with $250,000 or more in income ($125,000 for singles). It eliminates a 0.9 percent tax on wage income in excess of $250,000 a year ($200,000 for unmarried people). It eliminates taxes on health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers.

...in a big-picture sense, you can’t take $600 billion out of health care and use it to finance tax cuts without ending up with worse health care. All the rest is details and footnotes.

Some of those details and footnotes are important. Such as who will be adversely affected the most by this bill. Children. And in particular, Children with disabilities

Even those kids not relying on Medicaid will be hurt by this bill:

Families with children with serious health concerns who aren’t covered under Medicaid still wouldn’t be immune to the plans uglier provisions. A new amendment to the GOP-backed bill would mean that states could push families of many children with disabilities into high-risk pools of insurance applicants — and insurers could legally charge those families much higher premiums because of their child’s pre-existing condition. And the list of health challenges that could lead to paying higher premiums includes multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, epilepsy, diabetes, and even asthma.

At least 24 of the Republicans who voted for Paul Ryan's health care bill are now vulnerable in 2018. (I won't affix Donald Trump's name to the bill because not smart enough to write a law let alone one on health care, a subject he knows nothing about and has no reason to care about, since he will be able to afford medical care for himself and his family after he no longer has a desk in the oval office. He's just a puppet trying not to be a loser.)

Democrats are mobilizing to take back the House. From Swing Left, "An online network created to support progressive candidates in Swing Districts and help take back the House in 2018, regardless of where you live."

They passed this bill by just two votes. And 35 Republican representatives from targeted Swing Districts cast critical YES votes. (See the full list below.) Right now, let’s make sure this vote is one they’ll deeply regret. We just set up a way to split a donation to all of the eventual Democratic nominees in these 35 Swing Districts.

2018 elections are a long way off. When Congress passed the Patriot Act without having sufficient time to even read the bill and with no debate, many thought those who voted for it would lose their seats in Congress. It didn't happen.

Before thinking about 2018, and before donating to the Democratic party, I'd like to see Democrats get to work on convincing at least a few Republican Senators to vote against this health bill. Here are some Senators who may be on the fence (if not opposed):

Republicans passed their health care bill through the House on Thursday afternoon without cost or coverage estimates from the Congressional Budget Office — a leap into the legislative dark that many experts view as reckless and irresponsible. They suddenly corralled the votes after making legislative changes this week, and then rammed through the bill with a vote on Thursday.

Republicans in the Senate have a range of views, but it’s far less likely they’ll move as quickly as Ryan did. Republicans can only afford to lose two votes to pass Ryan’s bill through reconciliation. So far, at least four crucial swing votes are already speaking out against the House bill.

If the Senate passes this bill they too will become big losers. And despite what fake news is claiming, Donald Trump will also be a loser.

Loser: Donald Trump

Trump has repeatedly promised a health care bill that will “cover everyone” and take care of people with preexisting conditions. The bill that just passed the House is decidedly not that bill. The things Trump says are currently in the bill — protections for everyone with preexisting conditions, for example — are not in the American Health Care Act. The most recent CBO estimate says that 24 million fewer Americans would have coverage under AHCA. Clearly, not everyone is covered.

Trump has repeated these claims this week and he may well keep repeating these claims about AHCA in the future too. But eventually, if he signs this bill into law, the way AHCA actually works will become clear to the Americans who lose insurance and the Americans with preexisting conditions who suddenly have to pay more for coverage. That will be a rude awakening for the voters who have, for years now, been promised the exact opposite.

This bill cannot be fixed. It needs to be rejected in the Senate. My advice: Before donating to Democrats and thinking about 2018, convince Republican senators not to expend effort on amendments, and focus on convincing the Republican Senators who have already expressed doubts about the bill to vote against it. Only 3 Republicans need to reject the bill for it to fail.

The rich and the young and healthy will like this bill. Everyone else should be appalled.
Republicans can now be crowned with one more ignominious title: Misopedists. They have always been the party willing to throw out protections for the poor, the elderly and the marginalized among us. With this bill, they have now added children to the list. What kind of society throws the welfare of children to the wolves? Not one anyone I know would care to live in.

< Republicans and Their Nightmare Health Care Bill | El Chapo Trial Set for April, 2018 >
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  • Display: Sort:
    This is the (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 04, 2017 at 09:13:52 PM EST
    most disgusting bill I have ever seen come out of congress and that's saying something.

    Some good news today: Hillary is going to start funding the resistance.

    im all for (none / 0) (#19)
    by linea on Sat May 06, 2017 at 02:49:59 PM EST
    hillary clinton quietly "funding the resistance" with her 100-million in assets. but that doesnt seem to be what she is doing.

    Clinton will act as "the connector" between the leftist groups and big-money donors.


    Parent
    Explain. (5.00 / 2) (#22)
    by Towanda on Sun May 07, 2017 at 12:18:59 PM EST
    Because what you want is exactly what a connector does.

    Have you worked in fundraising, at all, to make your statement?

    (I have.)

    Parent

    She can't explain (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Yman on Sun May 07, 2017 at 01:11:25 PM EST
    It's another silly, throw-away smear from a bitter Berner.  Meanwhile, in the land of reality, this is what actual Democrats like HC are doing.

    Parent
    Ours. (5.00 / 3) (#2)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu May 04, 2017 at 09:15:51 PM EST
    Jeralyn: "What kind of society throws the welfare of children to the wolves?"

    About 15 million children in the United States - 21% of all children - live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold.

    I would further note that the federal poverty threshold actually tends to underestimate the needs of families. On average, families in this country generally require an income that's twice that level to cover basic living expenses. So the poverty rate for children is likely higher.

    But hey, billionaires would get a $600-plus billion tax cut under the AHCA -- so it's all to the good, right?

    >:-(

    The AHCA is a viciously cruel bill, which from my perspective as a legislative policy analyst appears to have been deliberately crafted to hurt as many people as possible in order to maximize the benefit for the wealthiest of Americans.

    As for the primary architect of this amoral legislative horror, Speaker Paul "Lyin'" Ryan, who as a fatherless teenager benefited enormously from the social safety net that he now seeks to loot, pillage and burn on behalf of his billionaire benefactors -- well, please excuse my language, but fck him.

    Aloha.

    War! (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 04, 2017 at 11:12:56 PM EST


    My tired 2800 square feet house painting brain (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 04, 2017 at 11:27:56 PM EST
    Sees Jeralyn's headline as Act in Hate, Repent in Lies.

    one in every two people (5.00 / 4) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 07:57:33 AM EST
    in this country have a preexixting condition.  i double down on what i said yesterday.  

    its notjust the horrible bill its the beer party afterwards.  the optics of a bunch of fat old white millionaires cheering a billionaire for taking healthcare away from dying children and giving the money to those making over a quarter million a year is going to bite them on the ass and not let go.

    just watching morning joe.  they are being absolutely brutal.  and they represent the view of the sane right.

    Especially now that (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by fishcamp on Fri May 05, 2017 at 11:58:46 AM EST
    Joe and Mika are engaged.  

    Parent
    One of the gym guys (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by fishcamp on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:11:43 PM EST
    Just tried to explain the new three level deductible available to people with pre-existing conditions with the new Republican health program.  He got so mixed up he couldn't finish.  It amazes me how much they want to believe the lies.

    Parent
    not sure if that was a joke (none / 0) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:21:56 PM EST
    but if you dont think they are opinion makers.....

    Parent
    btw (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:23:21 PM EST
    their ratings are at record levels recently.

    Parent
    "Morning Joe" airs at midnight out here. (none / 0) (#10)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:34:30 PM EST
    That's way past my bedtime. ;-D

    Parent
    if you think (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:46:05 PM EST
    the point of that comment was morning joe you are more than missing the point.

    one anagram

    DVR

    Parent

    you think i get up (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 01:11:07 PM EST
    at 5?

    Parent
    not a joke (none / 0) (#18)
    by linea on Sat May 06, 2017 at 01:50:09 PM EST
    they are engaged.

    joe divorced his wife (two children i believe) a few years ago and mika finalized last year. seems they waited a few months so as not to make the long rumoured roman de travail too obvious.

    Parent

    thanks (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat May 06, 2017 at 03:21:39 PM EST
    that actually made me laugh out loud.

    Parent
    Oh, you could tell (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by MKS on Sun May 07, 2017 at 11:02:37 AM EST
    Just their body language and how they interacted on air.

    Reminds me of when I was a newbie lawyer in a big firm and I could tell when a partner and senior associate were chummy between the sheets.   Nothing too overt...But you could just tell.  And they would think they were being so clever and no one would ever know.

    Parent

    Brutal on whom? (none / 0) (#14)
    by MKS on Fri May 05, 2017 at 04:22:42 PM EST
    Tough on the GOP for passing this?

    Parent
    yes (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 05:05:39 PM EST
    and for many other things

    Parent
    Cook Report (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 05, 2017 at 12:48:46 PM EST
    changes ratings for 20 house seats

    and its the freakin next day

    Hell to the yeah! (none / 0) (#17)
    by Militarytracy on Sat May 06, 2017 at 01:32:29 PM EST
    Why not call your senators & donate? (none / 0) (#16)
    by Molly Bloom on Sat May 06, 2017 at 07:50:41 AM EST
    It's not mutually exclusive.