Before Obamacare, I had affordable individual-payer health insurance. It didn’t cover everything, but it covered a lot and I got it when I was in my late 20s. When Obamacare started, I signed on because that was my only option. I have felt all year that this is probably the last year I will be able to afford it though (I’ve said this before). It pisses me off so much that so many people are in similar situations. Even though Trumpcare is now D.O.A., there is still so much the Republicans can and will do to destroy affordable healthcare. But I guess we could still take a moment and enjoy the fact that Republicans can’t get their sh-t together long enough to vote on a repeal-and-replace bill that they’d been whining about for seven years?
Hours after Senators Mike Lee and Jerry Moran announced their opposition to the Republican health care bill, leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell two votes short of the number needed to begin debate on the Better Care Reconciliation Act, McConnell finally admitted defeat. “Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful,” he said in a statement issued late on Monday night.
McConnell isn’t just dropping the Republicans’ seven-year battle against the Affordable Care Act. He’s going to give the GOP’s original “repeal and delay” tactic one more try by holding a vote in the coming days on a straight repeal of Obamacare, with a two year delay in implementation. This approach involves using the version of the GOP health plan passed by the House in May, the American Health Care Act, as the vehicle for a Senate vote on the repeal-only measure. The amendment McConnell is talking about wouldn’t fully repeal Obamacare, as that would require 60 votes, and there are only 52 Republican senators. Instead, as The Hill explains, it would damage Obamacare as much as possible under the reconciliation process, which only takes 50 votes: “The measure guts the law by repealing authority for the federal government to run healthcare exchanges, and scrapping subsidies to help people afford plans bought through those exchanges. It zeros out the penalties on individuals who do not buy insurance and employers who do not offer health insurance.”
It’s a case of “Trumpcare is dead, long live Trumpcare.” Trumpcare IS dead, but now the Republicans are going to try – and probably succeed – to kill Obamacare out of spite. They are the ones making Obamacare a “failure,” and then when they do everything they can to make it fail, then they’ll blame Obama(care) for failing and they’ll magically come up with a plan to “fix” everything. And it will still be awful, unafforable and even worse, people will die.
So, basically: keep on contacting your representatives and senators.
My statement on an upcoming vote to repeal #Obamacare pic.twitter.com/RdyDiUJfMD
— Leader McConnell (@SenateMajLdr) July 18, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Buh-bye, Turkey, Neck. Lord, I loathe this man. He is just evil, heartless and awful.
The Republicans are virtually ALL evil, I think. It seems like many of them who weren’t going to vote for Trumpcare were refusing because it wasn’t heartless enough.
Thank goodness that there are a couple of Republicans who actually do have a heart. It’s not a common thing. Susan Collins has refused to approve of any of these cruel health care plans. I wish all Republicans agreed with her
@Honey Yes, Susan Collins actively pushed back against this bill. She is a rare one in today’s Republican Party.
I think Collins had her heart in the right place for sure, but this also worked out pretty well for her career. She is now a household name and a well-known moderate Republican, which is something of a unicorn these days.
It would be great if she set an example for other members of her party, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
None of them have a heart. This is entirely about self preservation and the preservation of the Republican majority in the Senate. The four Senators opposing the bill don’t face re-election until 2022, and by then this will be long forgotten.
Collins has been a household name. She’s had seats on several major committees and has been a well informed senator like former senator Snow. Maine’s other female Republican senator. She’s getting more coverage now, but her stance has never changed. She listens to the people of her state and votes for their/our best interest. Also, has always been noted as a senator that did not vote within party lines. Much like snow as well.
My state went split in the electoral votes. Many voted Trump just because it wasn’t Hillary. But we have a history of some amazimg elected officials.
To say she’s heartless or just doing this for her career is to write her off because of her party. It’s ignorance to only look that far. Her voting record and career is enough to counter those views.
And it’s not about re election. She has no issues with that here. At all.
What are the chances of Susan Collins running for president? 2020 would be nice. Or Olympia Snow would be good, too.
But someone, anyone, needs to challenge Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination.
No, most of them have no hearts. The biggest reason it failed wasn’t the Republicans who felt it would cut too much – Republicans who felt it didn’t go far enough to cut health care benefits are the ones who scuttled it.
I doubt she will run.
To say they’re heartless is just ignorance broadly painting those you dont agree with because of the beliefs of the few loud cogs. Full stop.
Politicians do appear heartless. Both sides and all in between. That doesn’t mean all are.
This is a time to educate yourselves on the issues and you elected officials. Not to hate 1 party because of the name association. If that’s what you do you’re as bad as the rest.
They are all evil and heartless with not an ounce of compassion.
he always reminds me of ronald searle’s “unusually repulsive cat startled by a gesture of affection”: https://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mel6a5BPAg1qgqf3mo1_500.jpg
Love that cartoon.
He’s also rich. Assets add up to at least 40 million.
On behalf of the voting citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky…I am appalled and ashamed that my neighbors continue to re-elect this jackass every freaking time. As a state with one of the highest poverty levels with one of the lowest life-expectancy rates, it seems that voting GOP is literally the most counter-intuitive thing that could be done. *sigh* I’m sorry, everyone. I voted for Alison Grimes, as did most of my friends and family. We tried, and will continue to do our damnedest to get him out of DC.
Oh delphi, I feel for you. Keep fighting the good fight. Hopefully one day this nightmare will end with a satisfactory conclusion.
I’m with you delphi — I have friends and family here in KY that are still voting for this asshole, and they are voting against their best interests. I don’t get it.
The header shot is epic – this man is ugly inside and out.
The GOP/Trump crew look like a casting call for a Coen Brothers movie. Except Pence. He is clearly an alien who peels his face off before bed every night.
100%
HAHA! Spot on! Have you seen this? http://fusion.kinja.com/how-many-people-have-to-die-resign-or-go-to-jail-befo-1795378647
it’s like a gallery of horrors.
It’s so weird. It seems as though in every Trump photo op (such as Trump playing truck driver), Pence is smiling and laughing oddly nearby.
Hideous, just hideous.
“Am I not turtley enough for the turtle club?,” “turtle, turtle…” That’s what he reminds me of.
EXACTLY what comes to mind every time I see a picture of this reprehensible prick.
If it weren’t for his evil actions, his strong resemblance to a turtle would be an asset, not a liability. Turtles are beloved. After all, John Oliver admits that he himself looks like a parrot, but on John it’s adorable because John Oliver isn’t evil to the core.
That header pic would scare young children and ghosts. We should all post that on our front doors if we want to scare off evil spirits. Seriously what a horrible man. What does Elaine Chao see in him?
She loves his complete lack of ethics. Seriously, the woman is on Trump’s Cabinet
Well the thing about Elaine Chao is that she is a retread. She actually was in Bush’s cabinet so I would label her as a sane Repub. Any of the newbies that bought their office in this administration I would side-eye. Not Chao.
But now the ORANGE Toddler is pushing for a Repeal.. because all he cares about is destroying anything and everything Obama put into place. That is so far his accomplishments. He has done nothing else but take a pen to things Obama put in place.
Did you all see him sitting in the MAGA Firetruck. Like a 2 year old.
He doesn’t care if it’s just repealed and no one has insurance. He’s a billionaire who can pay for his doctor appointments and he thinks anyone who can’t afford it is just a lazy moron.
All 45 cares about is saying, ‘see, I signed a bill’. He does not care how many people dies from his recklessness. Now Russia is DEMANDING he returns the properties Obama seized and I’m just watching to see how fast 45 hands them over and ask his master, Putin, what else can I do to repay you for helping me steal the election from Hillary. Evil lives in the Whitehouse and Washington DC.
Putin is call in the favor. And he is going to get nasty when Trump doesn’t come through. All of this was for a Quid pro quo. Trump is playing with Russian and they want their pay back. I think after Putin met him at Summit he really saw what a marshmallow and ass kisser Trump is. He saw how Weak Trump his. And he played him good. Now they are testing the waters. And if they actually do have something on Trump.. and I bet they do; we are going to know it soon. Trump is a coward.
It was reported today that Trump had a secret one hour meeting with Putin at the G20 summit AFTER the “official” one. It was just Trump, Putin, and Putin’s Russian interpreter. No Tillerson, no other WH aides, not even freaking Ivanka – just Trump and his lord and master (and the guy who translated everything). NOT ONE AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVE OR CITIZEN WAS PRESENT. THE HELL?! This is against all protocol, not to mention it TOTALLY makes Trump look like a sneaky operative of the Russians. Was he getting new orders? Was Putin reminding him of the kompromat he has hanging over Trump’s head? Was Trump negotiating his escape to/asylum in Russia? Was he handing over the nuclear codes to his BFF Vlad?
Why is this HORRIBLE man still occupying the White House? He and McConnell are hell bent on destroying America – Trump because Putin is blackmailing him, and McConnell because $40M isn’t enough – he wants more from the Koch Bros, the Mercers, Sheldon Adelson, the guy who owns Hardee’s, etc.
Yeah, I saw that series of tweets. This man is so dumb. Why would Dems work with Republicans to repeal their own bill? All of the Dems and even some cowardly Rethugs are saying just fix the issues with Obamacare. Yet, Foolius is so intent on being a vindictive tool that he cannot see that he has lost yet again. If the Rethugs cannot pass this monstrosity of a bill, then how would they be able to get a straight repeal through? This is a stupid idea that won’t happen because he would need 60 votes to get it through? The Dems would not work with Foolius to repeal their own bill which would strip people of healthcare. People could die while they were trying to put together another bill. A straight repeal would also go against every campaign promise Dump made: It would raise the debt, even more people would lose coverage, and it would double premiums.
Not only is he losing the healthcare battle, several lawyers from the Obama administration are suing Dump’s campaign about the DNC hacking in civil court (?), Dump confirmed that the initial meeting with the Russians was not about “adoption” at all which means that he confirmed that his own son was lying about the initial reason for the meeting, he now has to give up a list of the visitor logs at Mar-A-Lago, reports of Russian hackers going after voter registration data in several states. It is reported now that those hackers were not successful in changing votes or even successfully hacking systems, but I am not sure I believe that anymore-especially with how coordinated these attacks (both the social media disinformation campaign and going after voter logs) were and how close the final numbers were. And today is only Tuesday. He just keeps losing. So much losing that you cannot believe how much losing he is doing. That is until you read the WAPO,NYT, or watch the news.
Fvckhead-in-Chief weighs in: http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/887134287350439936
That’s right, Cultists and #tw*tsfor trump, he doesn’t care if you live or die. You are NOTHING to him. Try to figure that out before you die.
Don’t worry they won’t. Ignorance is bliss and they would sacrifice their life to get back at the black man.
They will be clutching their asinine hats whispering What about Hillary with their dying breath.
Of course they will be at home dying of a curable illness because they have no insurance but they don’t do irony so they wouldn’t even get it.
He is just so dumb it’s unreal
Republicans are evil. Seriously evil. The AHCA the house passed is heinous.
Supposedly there were moderates that were going to jump ship and the two senators that pulled out did so to give cover to the more moderate members.
But still republicans are evil.
I know. My teenage son was recently diagnosed with a serious medical condition that he will be managing for the rest of his life. I seriously wonder how he’s going to ever afford to live on his own if he can’t get insurance coverage. I would love to have him and a couple other boys we know with the same disease go in front of Congress and rip their heads off. I alternate between seeing red with anger and wanting to weep in despair.
I’m sorry your son has this kind of a challenge. More reason for all of us to keep fighting this regime! I’m calling my legislators today. They will regret bringing this battle to our door. Hang in there!
Thank you and yes, we cannot let up in this fight. Not ever.
I feel you Esmom my brother was diagnosed with a lifelong illness in high school (so 5 years ago) and without my dad’s govt insurance we would’ve been bankrupt. Luckily he is able to be on that insurance for the next 6 years but after? What then? And he had asthma as well so its two strikes against him. It makes me worried all the time
When Trump won I predicted they would kick the can down the road by passing a repeal that goes into effect after the mid-terms, followed by an extension until after the 2020 presidential.
This thing is not dead. It will keep coming back like the Terminator.
That’s why we must stay on top of our representatives in Congress. The Republican House played possum on the first plan; I don’t trust these evil greedy old men one bit. They’re just regrouping.
And Donnie Two Scoops won’t rest until he’s eradicated any evidence of the Obama Administration. Eat more ice cream, Cheeeto . . .
And stay on top of our state representatives, governors, and AGs too! Trump and Price have stopped administrating many provisions of the ACA, which is impacting the states and insurers adversely. They are owed money and they aren’t getting it. Impress on our local officials what we want and make them fight for it. If the feds are in arrears, sue them.
Yes please call your Representatives especially if you live in a red state. The fight isn’t over folks.
And as I said above, not just our congressional representatives but state representatives and governors too. Make them fully implement the ACA. If Trump isn’t administering it as he should, the states can sue him and they should.
They couldn’t pass gas after eating a plate full of beans.
But we won’t become complacent either way. #resist
I read “Mitch McConnell finally acknowledges Tupac is dead”… I’m going back to bed.
This is an unbelievably serious and important issue but I just have to say I laughed out loud at your comment. Thank you!
I wonder if this brain dead tortoise knows who Tupac was? There’s something to ponder.
Thank you for the laugh. I needed it.
this headline would have won the internet for sure.
It still amazes me that after seven or eight years of whining and crying about it and promising of repeal, they have all the pieces in place to do so, I can’t even take it to a vote. Of course I am happy about that, but it is still kind of amazing.
Spite is not leadership. They need to give up on the idea of repealing it, and all work together to fix the parts that are problematic.
Exactly. Their spitefulness is so effing toxic, blinding them to reason. Yet we’re the ones who’ll pay the price.
Here is the “dilemma” the GOP faces: They want government healthcare, they just want their version of it. Where their problem comes in is that the people who voted them into office want the AHA gone. They don’t want it repealed and replaced. They wanted it repealed. They want things to go back to the way they were prior to the AHA. I’m not GOP, I’m an Independent, but Just for reference, before the AHA, our premiums for top of the line health insurance for a family of 5 was $600/month with vision and dental – we are now paying $3,000/month for the same insurance. We cannot afford it. A friend of my husband is in business for himself and is the sole supporter of his family. His family of 3 is paying $2200/month for health insurance when they used to pay $400/month.
This is happening to middle class families all over the United States. Health insurance that used to be within their means is now more than their mortgage payment.
Both sides want government healthcare, but the GOP politicians also want to keep their jobs and their voters don’t want government healthcare at all. So this is what you get. A washed down version of government healthcare where no one wins and we all lose.
Eventually, we will have single payer healthcare. They’re just trying to reconcile what they want versus what their constituents want and still keep their jobs.
Some families are getting hit harder than others….and it is largely the result of the politicians in their state.
For 2017, states that did not expand Medicaid saw premiums go up nearly 10% more than states that did expand Medicaid. States that didn’t open their own exchanges saw premiums increase an additional 12% more than states that opened their own exchanges.
The decision to try and undermine Obamacare had HUGE impacts on the citizens of those states.
@ Sherry- Some of that might be true, but you are painting an incomplete picture.
Last I checked only 16% of Americans approve of Trumpcare. It is simply UNHEARD of for any party to so aggressively push a bill that is so deeply unpopular among Americans. You make it sound like the reason they are pushing for it is to appeal to their constituents but sadly, their constituents have very little to do with their motivation here.
Remember: this bill is nothing but a tax cut for the wealthy. The motivation for Ryan, Mitch and crew is to reward their rich donors, to finally deliver on the promises they’ve been making for 8 years.
They even f*cking brought rich billionaires like Steve Wynn to the meeting with Heller regarding the ACA repeal, just to try to convince those that were on the fence.
If this was really about their constituents then why not hold town meetings? Why do everything behind closed doors? Why be so purposefully vague and obtuse about what this bill actually delivers?
Why not work on repairing the existing issues with the ACA?
Simple.
This is about optics and this is about kowtowing to the rich. This is about creating a superficial answer to healthcare in hopes of placating ignorant voters while giving an overdue billion dollar present to the 1 percenters who got these guys their jobs.
For the GOP, this has never EVER been about finding a more affordable answer to healthcare for their voters.
The reason the premiums went up was because the Republicans passed legislation to hobble it so that people would suffer and be pliable and desperate enough to accept their draconian plans. I don’t think people really thought repeal meant getting something worse. Most of them thought it meant it would be an improvement and fix the problems of premiums. Sure it does because people who have no insurance have no premiums.
I am an Independent as well and I have good insurance but that doesn’t mean I don’t want everyone to enjoy the same thing. Take my tax money if it means people, my fellow Americans, can have access to affordable quality healthcare. I would rather it go there than paying these arrogant fools. This shouldn’t even be a debate.
For anyone interested, there is an article from the LA Times that compares the rate increases by state, and compares those that have adopted the ACA, Medicaid expansion, federal subsidies, and also created their own exchanges vs. those that did everything to resist the new programs. Rates have gone up everywhere, but the difference between the states that bought into the Obamacare concept vs. those that didn’t is easy to see. http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-obamacare-rates-20161031-story.html
It’s also worth repeating that the ACA legislation that was adopted was always meant to be the first step, the next step of controlling costs never got off the ground thanks to Republican opposition.
@Kitten – That’s exactly right! The GOP voters don’t approve of Trumpcare, because they don’t approve of any government run healthcare. My husband is a conservative Republican. The people who voted for the GOP want government out. They want a complete repeal, not a repeal and replace with something else.
It doesn’t matter, because it’s just a show for the people. My husband calls it political kabuki theatre. They like to make a big show of shutting the AHA down, they’ll take votes and put bills forth, knowing all along it’s going nowhere. That way, they can go back home and tell their constituents, “I tried! I worked tirelessly to get rid of Obamacare, but (whichever Republican Senator/Representative is not endanger of losing his/her seat) prevented it from happening! Send me back to DC and I’ll continue to fight the good fight!”
They do the exact same thing with abortion at election time. The Democrats use it as a rallying cry to their voters (“They’re going to take away your rights!”) and the Republicans use it to rally their voters (“All of these poor murdered children!”) Then they go to DC and that topic is waaaaaaaaay down anyone’s radar. Abortion has been legal in this country since 1973. That’s almost 50 years. It’s not going anywhere.
Sherry-Yep “political theater” is the perfect term for it. I wonder what your husband thinks about the current incarnation of the GOP? They seem more Republican than Conservative and Trump is certainly not the populist he ran his campaign on.
It seems like true conservatives are a dying breed these days as are true liberals and we’re left with neocons and neolibs running the country. Sigh.
It is such a failure to bitch for years on end about ACA, and then not have a viable alternative ready to go. They should have been meeting behind the scenes immediately after the election to pinpoint ideas/concepts that they all agreed upon.
They – like the rest of us – thought Hillary would win so they never thought they would actually have to come up with a plan.
So, what is the difference between this plan and the last one that just went down in flames? Nothing. He is re-packaging this so that those moderate Republicans for vote with whatever they call a conscience.
Rand Paul probably still won’t vote for it because he is a selfish, racist, entitled douche.
My advice is to take care of your health. Eat well, exercise and avoid stress.
Ha if only it were that easy. Tell that to my otherwise fit and healthy 16 year old who was diagnosed in May with a genetic medical condition that will kill him if he doesn’t have his meds every month.
I’m 72 years old and haven’t been sick since 1953 when I had chickenpox. My grandson, however, has asthma, inherited from my husband’s side of the family. During his first seven years he spent several times in the hospital under a breathing tent. Being “good” doesn’t work for everyone.
I was extremely fit, exercised daily, ate a healthy diet and still got breast cancer.
I had a very aggressive Cancer at 22. Still dealing with the severe aftereffects and damage the radiation /chemo treatments produced years later that now consumes most of my life. My Thyroid gland is destroyed. Another result was I needed open heart surgery because my heart valves became calcified due to the massive (now outdated) doses of radiation that I took. My kidneys failed at one point (now recovered) My lungs are permenently scarred, and at one point had to have lung drains sutured into my back to drain off excessive fluid that my heart could not. I now require a C Pap at night to breathe. I am not obese. Actually, while I am considered in “good ” condition , my doctors know that they will be seeing me often. Eating well is a given always, it is the swallowing and digesting that is a issue, due to a large hiatal hernia.
I am so fortunate because today I have medical insurance. Please don’t tell me I am brave. I am only fortunate. I thank every day , every time I need to see my doctor, and what is truly scary for these Senators and Right Wingers is that I am not alone. There are thousands of long term Cancer surviviors, and others, like me, out there in this country. This Repugnant Party is doing their incompetant worst . Millions of us are fighting, because we have no choice.
@marjiscott, you and my mother have a lot in common. It’s unfair people have to go through this. Best of luck in your future. It’s ridiculous and awful when Trump, his supporters, and the Republicans seem to only care about themselves
Are you serious??? I eat well, takes care of myself and exercise by walking 1/2 hour everyday and I still have certain medical problems that’s in my DNA, I have not had a soda in about 10 years, no fried foods, no process foods, no salt or sugar and I still have health problems. I could go on and on but you get where I’m coming from. It’s better to keep your mouth closed than to open it and let people know you are ….
That’s a really, really naive thing to think @Pilberserk. Since I was born with my disability, eating salad and going to the gym won’t do anything for me. That isn’t a cure for most of us. I fell down this morning during a seizure and hit my head on a table. No matter what meds I take, it’s uncontrollable. The stress of what this asswipe Trump and his supporters are doing to the country has caused more seizures and anxiety attacks every day. I was lucky my brain surgery was covered by insurance! Thank goodness my cancer was caught early too.These are not my only health problems, but plenty have worse health than me .
Get a clue @Phibeserk before it’s too late
I read Plibersek’s comment to just mean that since we can’t depend on being able to afford insurance in The Age of Trump, we need to be extra careful about things we do have some control over. I didn’t interpret as one of those clueless Trumpian remarks.
Pilberserk, you’re not serious are you? Maybe you’re just one of the few lucky people who always are healthy and have no loved ones with health issues. I guess if my dad walked 20 miles to work instead of driving, ate only healthy food, and didn’t let life ever stress him out, he might not have ended up dying after years of suffering from Parkinsons disease and dementia. Wish you had known him so you could have given him your genius advice
Sorry but literally anything can happen for any reason at any time. A lot of medical problems are just bad luck. I am obviously not for people smoking, drinking and eating sugar all day long just b/c they have health insurance. Of course not. But in my college days I ended up in the ER for emergency surgery and I have always had the perfect BMI, diet, exercise etc routine. It was a totally random heath issue and I would have been screwed if my parents hadn’t paid for my policy at the time. Things just happen and we should always be prepared. And not only are these thugs targeting the sick, they are also screwing women’s health when it comes to pregnancy, birth control, maternity leave. And lets not forget the elderly. Chances are by the time you are retired and in your 70s some sort of medical condition will come up regardless if you have never touched processed foods, cigarettes, drugs or alcohol your entire life.
Spoken like a true Republican,@Plibersek
Also, don’t leave the house because you might get into an accident. Or no, don’t even leave your bed because you might have some accident at home. Don’t walk, you might trip and break your arm. Don’t cut vegetables, you might cut yourself! What is wrong with you, Plibersek?
Thankfully, I don’t live in the USA. I’m well covered by public health insurance no matter if I have a job or might get unemployed. It might not be perfect either but from a German perspective what is going on with the US health care system is hysterical. What is wrong with people? Seriously!
Thank you Jwoolman.
It’s sad but true that the best a lot of Americans can do is to try to avoid preventable diseases because you’re really up against it if you require support from your shitty healthcare system. ‘We’re number one’ Number one at what?
My close friend, a vegan yoga teacher, just died of cancer.
You can be healthy as a horse and still get hit by a car!
I get it, thinking it’s all out of our control is scary. I get that fear. It really is truly terrifying to know that so, so, so much is out of our control.
During the campaign, Donnie thought Obamacare was an insurance company. If Trump and his faithful Trumpsters realized that the ACA was based on what Mitt Romney the Republican started while he was the governor of Massachusetts, would they be so hell bent on ending it? Trumps focus on destroying anything with Obamas name on it pathetic and scary
To answer your Romney question – Yes. Yes they would still want to burn it to the ground. Romney is far too moderate (which is really saying something, because he’s not that moderate) to ever have a voice in what passes for the Republican party these days. Besides, Romney was very vocally anti-Trump during the campaign. He is now on the enemies list of every Trumpster. I’m sure Donnie also thinks he’s a ‘loser’ for not winning in 2012.
Trumps supporters don’t want to admit that a Republican could create something they don’t like. They have to blame the Democrats for everything. They’re coming up with ways to blame Democrats for this new healthcare trouble
Romney gets way too much credit for what happened in MA. The democratic controlled MA legislature with a lot of input from Ted Kennedy and his staff, hospitals, doctors, the community health centers, a patient advocacy group called Healthcare for All, and the insurance industry, which is heavily regulated in MA, cobbled it together. Romney needed an accomplishment as governor so he was willing to sign on. His only requirement was the individual mandate. A Republican who had a lot more influence on it was current MA governor Charlie Baker, a former Medicaid director who was president of Harvard Pilgrim and on all the committees that worked on the MA reform act. Baker opposes TrumpCare and submitted a plan to Congress to save the ACA, which his own party ignored.
I am reminded of a skit I saw – might’ve been Billy On The Street where someone went on and on and ON about how Obamacare was awful and terrible but the ACA was great and helped lots of people. Finally the interviewer stopped them and broke it down that they were the same thing. The dumbfounded look on their face…
AWESOME NEWS.
And I can’t afford Obamacare either. I am (fingers crossed) healthy, pay out of pocket for the occasional stuff I need, and fork over the freaking unfair fine every year. How shameful to be the sole 1st World country where only the poor and the old are deemed deserving of free healthcare. “Entitlements” is such an ugly word.
So the poor get free healthcare? How much do you have to earn a year to be considered poor?
Exactly my thought. Poor people getting free healthcare will be very interesting news to a huge number of working poor folks in my family. Where does one sign up for this, crazydaisy? /sarcasm
The poor can’t even get traditional Medicaid unless they fall into an eligibility category (elderly, disabled, child). An unemployed 22 year old who breaks a leg falling off his bike is going to get a bill for that ER visit and won’t get follow up physical therapy unless he pays up front.
Republicans have sold the idea that poor people can get treatment in the ER. The Emergency Medical & Active Labor Act (EMTALA) prohibits hospitals from denying care to people in emergency situations based on ability to pay but they can and do still bill people afterwards. And they only have to stabilize. You can’t get radiation treatment or chemo or physical therapy in the ER and you can’t get them unless you can prove payment. And those people who get treated under EMTALA and don’t pay? The bill gets passed to the rest of us in higher costs.
I can’t afford it either. I refuse to pay out over $700 a month when I do not use it. The penalty is much less. I’m retired and make too much retirement to get help with my premiums. When I retired, I was foolishly relying on my ex’s health care (divorce came a year later and was blindsided by it). Luckily for me I’m also healthy and haven’t had any medical expenses. Just waiting to be able to get medicare next year but that will probably be gone too. That being said, they need to fix what is wrong with the ACA and not start all over.
The elderly do not get free health care. They worked and paid into Medicare for decades to get Part A, which has deductibles and other cost-sharing provisions and caps. They must pay a monthly premium for Part B, which also has deductibles, co-pays and caps.
And you are taking huge risks. Three months ago, I needed emergency surgery that had complications (I’m fine now) but the bill was over $20,000. I know I don’t have that kind of money in pocket.
My father always said he worked nonstop for most of his life and served in the Navy. He believed that after all those years of paying into Medicare, he’d be safe forever. I really hope that the insurance they worked for doesn’t get taken away. Both of my parents are ill, and like so many others, they depend on this.
It’s definitely a huge risk to not have any insurance and it really sucks that so many can’t afford it. Accidents unexpectedly happen and most people aren’t healthy all the time. I’ve had so many surgeries and don’t know what I’d have done without my insurance
Yes, Medicare is FAR from free. I took my father to many, many appointments and managed his care for the last year of his life (he passed away in January), and I was astonished at the high out-of-pockets costs (such as $40 copays for every single doctor visit–often there were 3-5 per week), on top of the almost $300 per month premium, which came out of his very meager social security. He paid nearly half his monthly income in health care costs on average, sometimes quite a bit more. My husband and I paid all that we could to keep him from spending every dime he had on doctor visits.
It wasn’t so bad when he was in a Medicaid expansion state, which meant Medicaid covered most of his monthly premium, but at a certain point he had to move to a neighboring non-expansion state, and suddenly lost that benefit. He moved about 20 miles as the crow flies, but the quality of his care, and thus his quality of life (because the money worries preyed on him and nothing we could do could alleviate that fear and anxiety) as he battled terminal cancer. It was awful to watch, and infuriating, and highly instructive. Anyone who thinks the elderly are getting free health care obviously has never had to deal with the Medicare system,
Thank you, @Sewthegirl, my grandmother is 95 and battling dementia, a recent stroke that left her bed bound and before that just recovered from knee surgery. She needs round the clock care and a nursing home is $5000 a month. She bought extra ‘insurance’ 35+ years ago for nursing care and when she needed it, you know how much she’s going to get? $10,000. Yep, after three and a half DECADES of paying the premiums she gets TWO paid months of care. It be a joke, if it wasn’t so tragic.
If she lives much longer, my mom and uncle will have to sell the family farm, which has been in my mom’s side of the family since 1902 to pay for her costs. My uncle lives on it now, on disability because of a bad back (retired long haul trucker), and at 70 he’ll be homeless if we sell. Because the state will take everything to pay for nursing home before Medicare kicks in.
Yeah, the old really have it made. /sarcasm
P.S. Sorry, just had a hysterectomy and my hormones are all the place. This ‘debate’ makes me so mad. How hard is it, Republicans, to be a compassionate human being and want to help those less fortunate or ill?
Bethy, is that true? My husband spent the last seven months of his life in a nursing home with early onset Alzheimer’s at about $6500 a month. I was told that I would have to spend everything-the retirement savings I’d been putting away for 25+ years, the CDs I’d inherited from my parents, the money I received after one of my sisters bought our parents’ home, etc. The only thing I could keep would be my house-they couldn’t take that. Please see a lawyer specializing in elder law.
Oh Bethy, I feel for you and your family! It makes me livid that the rich can shelter obscene amounts of cash offshore while decent, hardworking people end up in situations like your grandmother.
@Jerusha, my mom is a retired lawyer, so no outside attorney needed. 🙂
In the state my grandmother lives in, they can make you settle down all your assets, including your house. It happened to my grandfather on the other side of the family too. He got to live on half the sale of the house he built by hand in the 40s for the rest of his life. The other half went to my grandmother’s Alzheimers care in a nursing home, where she lingered on a feeding tube for nearly 8 years.
My advice to anyone entering your golden years who has children? Put your house in a trust the state can’t touch, long before you get ill. The state can go back five years and revoke a trust to pay for care. This may differ state to state.
It’s truly insane that a family has to go bankrupt to pay for medical care in the richest country on earth.
People who get Medicare are those people who have worked and contribute their money when they were able to work in the system, that’s not free money, that’s their money. If you are working or have worked you should be entitled to get the money back that the gov took out of your paycheck.
I was in the workforce for 43 years, paying into Medicare every month. I retired at 70, so now I have Medicare. I haven’t had to use it, but I paid for it and it’s there if I need it. Just love how so many Americans don’t give a flying fvck for their fellow citizens. Dog eat dog.
Here, read about the Ik people. Some Americans would be perfectly happy in that type of society.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/country-matters-let-us-never-go-the-way-of-the-ik-1384655.html
Yes, Jerusha, that is it. They don’t give a fuck about anybody else
…until they need help themselves, then we’re all supposed to pitch in. I’m looking at you, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell!
Would it really be too much to ask them to do something for the people? They know their bill will literally result in people dying, and they still can’t muster any f**ks to give to come up with a bill that would provide coverage for the majority of people. This is unreal.
It pisses me off that any hard-working woman has to predict that she won’t be able to afford health insurance even with a marginally reasonable law (marginal due to Republican opposition to Obama BTW).
Also, Turtle Neck: you meant regretably, not regretfully. It’s unlikely that you have any regrets about any of this.
It disgusts me the amount of money that has gone into all this wasted effort. Just let it be!
Mr Turtle, how you have failed to take away healthcare from millions, including your home-staters in Kentucky, never ceases to amaze me.
Was it the “obstructionist” Dems? Hillary’s emails? Obama’s winning smile? A particular moon phase you didn’t see coming?
That you even thought you’d win anything with that charlatan clown in the WH, you know, the one with Russian ties and ties made in China, is the really troubling aspect of this debacle.
You, Mr Turtle, are not only evil, but incredibly stupid.
Good day, Mr Turtle.
While I love seeing the rubber faced bastard look even more like he’s swallowed a particularly sour Sour Patch Kid, and seeing that smug expression wiped off his face after assuming that the repeal was just going to be a cake walk, I don’t take a lot of comfort in this.
As stated above, the GOP will just steam roller over it completely and repeal the whole thing without a replacement because they can. They could give a sh*t about how this makes them look because they don’t have to. They’d be happy to do it because then they don’t have to trade anything for getting exactly what they want.
It boggles my mind how they have the amount of support they do considering the frozen singlemindeness with which they have tried to deny basic healthcare rights to so many and the glee (looking at you, Paul Ryan) with which they have spoken about doing so. Like, they’re not even trying to conceal the fact they made the bare minimum of concessions in order to get their version through.
I am just wondering if they are just putting this on hold until after Mueller finishes his investigation ? If trump and company are cleared , then the health care bill will be back on the table. If things go south with trump and company then trump resigns. With Pence taking over they can put a fresh spin on this health bill. I just don’t see the Republicians giving up this easy. Some fresh hell is waiting to be unleashed
Basically it’s now or never because the next item is tax ‘reform’ then it’ll be 2018 and everyone will be running in the House so almost nothing can get passed .
I live in Norway, and have never had to worry about health insurance. So Ive been following this process very closely ever since Trump won. What I dont understand is why do they need to replace Obamacare instead of improving on its imperfections? Obamacare has been tested, now they know what worked and what didnt- and should fix it instead of testing something completely different imho.
They (especially Trump) need to get rid of any accomplishment the black man ever made.
In fact some of the Trump supporters like ACA but hate Obamacare
I’m must be losing my mind but I thought ACA and Obamacare is the same thing. But but but 45 did say they were going to have such great healthcare at a fraction of the cost on the day he took office Another lie by the liar 🤥 in chief.
This morning MMc is saying they can just repeal Obamacare without a replace for about 2 years. I’m saying, if the senators votes for this they are telling us they will take healthcare away. We will never see a replacement in two years if those crooks stays in office.
Obamacare = ACA.
I roll my eyes and laugh when I see and read Trumpsters interviews about this. Some say that we need to keep the ACA because it’s doing a good job and is cheaper than Obamacare. Too many focus on disliking Obama so much,that they aren’t aware that Obamacare is the nickname Republicans gave it when they weren’t happy with the ACA plan
Sorry if this came off as confusing. But my comment was meant as sarcasm towards the Trumpsters who don’t realize they are the same thing. They have interviewed people in red states who literally say “I want to keep the ACA” and then the next sentence is “Obamacare is the devil”. That’s how brainwashed by fox news these people have become.
I posted something similar above. The ignorance of his supporters is astounding.
I totally saw your comment as sarcasm @Angela82. I wonder when or if Trumpsters will realize that they are the same thing
They need to replace it because Obama-Black-They’re Racists. That’s their overriding motive in everything they’ve done for the past 8 1/2 years.
They don’t need to replace the ACA. They want to obliterate all traces of our black President.
Yes that would be the smart thing to do. But what the others said. Obamacare (ACA) is considered his greatest accomplishment, so they want to destroy it.
Well to be honest I while I don’t disagree on the irrational Obama hate thats also an over simplification of whats going on. Basically for 8 years all they needed policy wise was to be anti Obama care which isn’t perfect at all and not come up with policy. The problem is that ideologically speaking they as far right republicans don’t believe in any form of government healthcare. Obamacare was basically conceived by a Republican think tank and was designed to appeal to them but its still too liberal for them They want that money back to give their donors tax cuts. They want to go back to an old system that was worse than this one. While the majority of people even otherwise Republicans would prefer more help from the government and something more universal. So they are stuck between a rock and a hard place and basically can’t fix Obamacare. If you have any interest in learning more about this whole debacle I’d listen to a podcast called The Weeds. They really delve into the history of policy and they also explain how our whole screwed up system works.
I get that the republicans in this are evil but can one of these stories about the various healthcare issues put some blame on the insurance companies? It doesn’t matter what the republicans put out there, the insurance companies still create the policies and set the rates. They can easily provide quality, affordable plans in all market places but they continue to dick over their customers and it gets worse year after year. The real death panels consist of the CEOs of United, BCBS, Healthnet, Cigna, Aetna… All of them. Lets bring these a-holes into the mix so they can share the blame over a situation they largely created.
It still starts from the top up, though. It’s the regulatory agencies that police the insurance companies and protect public health. Health care regulations are developed and implemented by all levels of government (federal, state and local).
Ultimately, the government in conjunction with private organizations create the healthcare system that we currently have. The private organizations that represent the insurance companies have a vested interest in increasing their bottom line but the people WE hire in government should be advocating for the consumer.
At the end of the day, insurance companies don’t owe the public shit–they are corporations that want to maximize their profit and reward their shareholders, they are not a charity. But our elected officials? Different story altogether.
When Obama came to Mitch McConnell for support and bi-partisanship help regarding Russian involvement to stack the deck for Trump in the election, this fake American patriot would have none of it. The GOP in truth never cared about the American people or their healthcare rather they care about getting rid of all things Obama … even if it takes the Russians to do it.
Let’s hope they eventually are forced to get around to fixing what ails the ACA with the Democrats, which includes regulating the greedy insurance and drug companies.
The GOP and Trump are destroying this country. Now they are trying to repeal without a replacement. Now is a good time to go out and interview those people who claim that they are still loyal to Trump. The press also need to take some blame because they were the ones claiming that the GOP had to repeal and replace Obamacare because their constituents would be upset, despite the fact that their constituents were in town hall meetings declaring how they wanted to keep Obamacare. Then there are those reporters who sit back and say nothing when the GOP, Trump, and Trump supporters spread the fake news that Obamacare is in a death spiral. Then there are those reporters who claim that the economy and stock market are doing well even though Trump and the GOP are destroying this country, leaving out that Trump’s administration is filled with billionaires and millionaires who have not divested from their countries and who are removing regulations that will prevent their stock from doing well.
Now the GOP are blaming the Democrats for the failure when they stated many times that they didn’t need the Democrats to pass their healthcare bill.
Republicans did everything they could to make the ACA / Obamacare such a “disaster” and have been complaining about it being a “disaster” since then. Obama hab much better plans but those were blocked by you-know-who. What a joke.
So many forget that little factoid – or weren’t paying attention. The ACA was only the first step, the Obama administration and the Dems in Congress very much wanted to do something to get skyrocketing costs under control, which would have helped the obscene premiums everyone complains about, but the Republicans threw every obstacle in their way.
DT is STILL tweeting:
“The Senate must go to a 51 vote majority instead of current 60 votes. Even parts of full Repeal need 60. 8 Dems control Senate. Crazy!
With only a very small majority, the Republicans in the House & Senate need more victories next year since Dems totally obstruct, no votes!
As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!
We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans. Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked really hard. We will return!”
The man is not only incompetent, but ridiculously uninformed. And insanely partisan. And so desperate for a win, he’ll cheat the game if necessary.
Mueller, save us!
I don’t get why so many Americans think a national health service paid by their taxes is such an anathema. It’s much cheaper than the ridiculous insurance cost people talk about.
Pay money to the government to provide healthcare or pay it to insurance companies who rip you off. Which would you rather?
These folks hate the government and want to destroy it but also disproportionately benefit from the very institutions they hate (Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare programs, socialized retirement savings, farm subsidies, etc.). There is no logic.
A majority of the gubbmint hatin’ Red States are the biggest pigs at the trough of federal dollars. For every dollar in taxes they send to DC, they get many dollars back. It’s reversed for the blue states.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jan/26/blog-posting/red-state-socialism-graphic-says-gop-leaning-state/
They don’t think it’s anathema. Even Trump supporters often say they want what Canada has. This came out in some focus group or something with people who voted for Trump.
The rich guys in Congress are the ones who don’t want it. Some have direct ties to insurance companies, others have indirect ties (donations and very likely some bribes). Medical insurance is a huge profit maker. Bribing a few people in Congress is a drop in the bucket, no biggie. That’s why when Hillary tried to get some health care reform going back in the 1990s, she was targeted by a decades-long smear campaign. Always follow the money.
I don’t want Trumpettes coveting the healthcare system that I enjoy in Canada. I don’t want those brain dead Trumpettes to life to Canada due to their healthcare needs when their buttboy’s Trumpcare fails
Spectacularly! F the Trump supporters!
The press seems to suffer from amnesia. This is where they are failing us. They keep asking why Trump didn’t lobby and help Mitch M push his healthcare bill(Trump gave an interview saying that he was waiting with a pen to sign whatever they came up with and was sitting in trucks while Mitch was working to get everyone to vote for his bill). Mitch M didn’t want Trump anywhere near MitchMcare because of what happened the first time when Trump helped Paul Ryan with Trumpryancare. Trump didn’t know what was in the bill(he was giving interviews saying one thing when the bill clearly stated the opposite) and he and Bannon were threatening GOP members who wouldn’t vote for Trumpryancare. At the time many of the press were saying that Ryan could have gotten better results had Trump not been involved. But now, they scratch their heads as if none of this ever happened.
Asshole-in-Chief is on tv right now. Wish I had a shotgun to blast the screen.
New strategy, “let Obamacare fail” , we not gonna own it, let the democrat owns it, when it fails. so says 45. He’s does not care if the bill fails. Unbelievable.
Trump is pure evil in every sense of the word.
McConnell and (most of) the Republicans in Congress are hellbent on destroying Obamacare. I just can’t comprehend why healthcare is a partisan issue. I’m an American living in the UK, and I will be forever grateful for the NHS. We’re about to move back to the States and I’m terrified about being able to access affordable healthcare. I hope we see a single payer system in the US in my lifetime.
I think it’s time to repeal and replace Mitch McConnell.
Affordable health insurance in your twenties? Ha ha – I remember those halcyon days…. Then I hit my fifties and the premiums kept going up 30% to 35% every year or even half year and they kept raising my deductible. And that was without ever making a claim. Once I finally had a relatively small claim, during my recovery I was greeted with a friendly letter congratulating me for not being cancelled for getting sick (out of the goodness of their evil little hearts) but by the way, here’s your new higher premium and deductible…. I also learned that my insurance company had a very odd way of interpreting “100% coverage past the deductible”. Namely, “We will pay only what we feel like paying, you can pull out your credit card for the rest”.
Even before that, I was struggling to pay 20%, 25%, 30% etc. of my income as the years in my fifties rolled on. Finally they wanted 53% of my income plus five times the deductible I had in those glorious twenties. Went uninsured until the ACA finally kicked in. But since nobody in Congress wants to regulate any profiteers, Anthem (our only choice) narrowed its network so much compared to equivalently expensive private policies that the local hospital and local doctors were shut out. Half the hospital’s and doctors in the capital city likewise. So the Feds were paying Anthem a huge subsidy (since by then my income was pathetic) for catastrophic insurance, since only a definite emergency would qualify for the truly splendid coverage in the exchange policy.
Both parties need to learn from this that it’s no use trying to avoid finally joining the rest of civilization and extending Medicare to everyone. The reason this keeps going around in such contortions is, they are trying to preserve a system well past its sell date to preserve the wealth of Big Health Care, Big PhRma, and Big Hospital. It isn’t going to work. No one can afford what health care today is billed out at. It’s a disaster as a for-profit industry, and they just don’t want to face the fact that no for-profit health care system today can work well for enough people.
But it won’t change until tens of millions of Americans go out into the streets and demand single-payer. To that extent, it’s on us for our passivity. Government respond to pressure from the bottom up: they rarely do the right thing of their own will from the top down.
Into the streets – or it will never happen.
I live in Norway, have never worried about health care ever. This reminds me to appreciate that more, and I hope you all get it soon. I fear its too late, since the rich people who run the insurance and medical companies are probably old friends of Trump. I dont understand why Trump would rather see obamacare fail than FIX IT. Why replace with something untested when you’ve tested obamacare and know where its weak spots are and can mend them?