After seven years of campaigning to repeal Obamacare, Paul Ryan and his GOP Republicans unveiled their healthcare replacement . . . and Americans should be pissed.
There was a reason this plan was under lock and key for the last week.
Like a unwashed meth head fiending for his next hit, the GOP healthcare bill should have never been released until it was cleaned up.
Here’s a quick recap on “American Health Care Act” (note that these geniuses couldn’t come up with a decent name):
Plays a shell game between subsidies and tax breaks. Insurance providers still get their money at the expense of the working class.
Does not open competition between state lines.
Maintains requirements on preexisting conditions.
Twists the individual mandate penalty to a 30% fine paid to insurance companies for those who drop coverage and then re-enroll.
Gives states $10 billion to expand Medicaid.
Throws a jaw-dropping $100 billion to states to expand services for the “poor” and “sick.”
Keeps a 40% tax on “Cadillac” health care plans.
Grandfathers Obamacare Expansion and . . . get this, allows enrollment in Obamacare for another two years.
On top of all of this, the GOP plan includes Obama’s request for a bailout for insurance companies!
This plan is not “Obamacare Lite” this is, in its worst connotation, RINOCare.
To be fair, the “what’s good about it” question now must be addressed.
What’s good about it?
The best thing about this proposal is that American voters can now wake up from the fantasy that politicians look out for their interests because of a party label.
Politicians on the Hill are looking out for one thing: the lobbying interests of the health care industry.
Health care companies and their investors began popping bottles yesterday as the plan – that they wrote – was revealed.
Two months ago, I was personally told by a source who has made many millions off of Obamacare, “we don’t want anything to change.”
They got their wish.
And to some, it’s no surprise.
Former House Speaker John Boehner, who was collecting a speaking fee for an appearance at a health care conference, told the group of well heeled executives that the repeal and replacement of Obamacare is, “not going to happen.”
He was spot on.
RINOCare maintains Obamacare in its current form, and makes it worse.
By keeping the requirement to provide coverage for preexisting conditions – while backending subsidies in the form of tax breaks, insurance premiums will skyrocket yet again.
Many Americans support preexisting conditions, but it’s wrong headed.
I’ll explain.
My 22-year-old sister-in-law is one of the worst drivers I know. If you take a car, park it in the middle of an empty parking lot and surround it with barricades, she’ll still find a way to hit it.
Imagine if we all had to pay the same auto insurance rates of my sister-in-law?
That’s what happens with preexisting coverage requirements.
That’s why all of us are paying significantly more for health insurance.
The biggest tell from RINOCare is that they didn’t open competition among insurance providers across state lines.
Republicans are for free markets right?
Wrong, Republicans are for winning reelection and that’s about it.
The health care industry DOES NOT WANT competition across state lines. Why would they? They would actually have to offer competitive pricing and spend money on advertising.
Limiting competition is great for the companies that currently have all of the business. It’s a state-by-state monopoly and they love it.
As Bill Walden and other Republicans march from microphone to microphone promoting this trash bill, do not be fooled for a second.
This GOP proposal is the biggest scam they have ever attempted to pass.
Not only is the bill worse than Obamacare, its mere proposal is a betrayal of everything that was promised by these politicians for the last seven years.
And if Donald Trump goes along with it, he will be the biggest betrayer of all.
When politicians have to “get into the weeds” and explain with high complexity why this plan is better, you know they are simply full of crap.
The solution to healthcare is the same as the solution to every other issue out there: Liberty.
As a crusty old activist has said for years, “Liberty is the answer, what’s the question?”
Drop Obamacare, drop regulations on competition, drop employer requirements, and let the industry sort itself out.
If Republicans were to do that, they would never get anther dime or dinner from a health industry lobbyist – but they would finally gain the respect of the American people.
