Wait… did you read what Manchin said?
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Crispr targeted genome editing raises the stakes in this discussion. With heathcare colliding with biotechnology, proper design of healthcare policy has become a matter of social resiliance. For example, you could consider a Gattica-like situation with parents paying for a 10% intelligence augmentation to assure junior makes it into university, or, say, an increase in height of 3 inches to get a better lifetime salary or basketball career. Similarly, you could shorten telomeres to shorten lifespans (plot to some Justin Timberlake film) to restrict social mobility and capital accumulation. You could build a Captain America military.
While B-movies and comics have explored the ethical implications of this stuff for decades, our zero-science Congress has not. Last year, the average US lifespan declined, This is bad news for the country, but could be good news for Justin Timberlake if he gets a sequel out of it.
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Democrats, meanwhile, have said they would be willing to come to the table to improve the Affordable Care Act, but will not be involved in efforts that centered on the law’s repeal.
Excellent. I hope they stand their ground on this.
MANCHIN after leaving bipartisan health meeting tonite: “There is no Plan B.” Won’t work with GOP if they start at repeal
And I rarely, if ever, say this but bravo to Manchin.
I wholly disagree. They’re definitely not their (or our) friends. But putting together a genuine proposal that improves the ACA and has the support of at least three Republicans - even if it doesn’t have the support of enough Democrats - makes it that much more difficult for them to turn around and vote for the Republican bill, which will inevitably be horrible. Without that, Collins et al. will simply cave openly as they usually do.
You demonstrate the flaw in Democrats working with the Repbulicans – you think the GOP actually wants to improve Obamacare, or tax law, or Wall Street regulation, or anything. They do not. Even if a “handful” do the proposal will not pass the Senate, but will serve as “evidence” that the Republicans are “serious” about the issue and that there are good ones who really care. Then Cruz and Ryan and the rest use that “serious” crap as cover.
And if we had a majority in both houses and passed such a law, it would pass with no GOP votes even after we gutted it at their request. Just like the ACA.
Negotiating with the GOP is like trying to kick Lucy’s football – it gets pulled away every time, and the only way to win is not to play.
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I don’t have a problem with discussing, nor with Manchin’s statements. Those who demand absolute unwavering purity from Dems haven’t proposed a viable way to get those absolutely pure Dems elected in those states. There were many times when this wasn’t the case, but these days the most conservative Dem is to the left of the most moderate Republican.
JFC … what the hell is wrong with people … on both sides of articles like this ??? The ACA will be “replaced” with the No Healthcare Bill and people will end up with nothing but doctor bills in their hands. Everybody knows that so what’s with the drama ??? They will accomplish nothing as the GOP will not let the common citizens have health care because they don’t believe they deserve it and they are in total control.
Dems need to stop screwing around and trumpet reality daily. They have to find a way to get the truth to the faux news folks and the willfully ignorant. If the “resistance” is real then this giant circle jerk that is our country today needs to be stopped.
Godamitey, how did we get here … and what do we do now … our country is really, really fucked.
No conservative has an improvement to offer because every ACA shortcoming is already an error on the side of too conservative.
Medicaid wasn’t expanded enough. Exchanges are too small, too few and too far between. Premiums, copays and deductibles are too high. Health care services are too expensive, with nothing being done to increase the underlying value propositions. Insurance companies subtract a little less value than before, but they still add none.
3 - 1 ≠ 4, no matter how many Senators call themselves bipartisan.
Small Bipartisan Group Of Senators Meet Privately To Talk Health Care Policy
For some reason I read that as a Small Bipolar Group Of Senators Meet Privately To Talk Health Care Policy
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I won’t give Rs too much credit and assume this is solely because some Rs know anything less that the current Obamacare will fuck over citizens and some of them will turn on Rs because of it. And those same Rs know the rest of the Rs don’t give a shit or are too stupid to realize the consequences of Donaldcare and will pull the trigger that takes down the R party.
Manchin was a big problem the first time around, holding the ACA hostage to his whims.
This is Manchin’s quote:
MANCHIN after leaving bipartisan health meeting tonite: “There is no Plan B.” Won’t work with GOP if they start at repeal
Don’t forget that pretty much everyone in his state has a pre-existing condition.
No, don’t ask this, because it will just unleash the flood of torture advocates. And jerks applauding when, say, a diabetic arrested for looking vaguely like some suspect in a nearby crime dies for lack of insulin.
A small group of Maine citizens had appointments to lobby Collins and Snowe for the public option in ‘09. They went to DC and never saw either senator. The senators’ supposed open minds were as closed as their office doors.
The only words I want to hear from anyone of any party on healthcare: Medicare for All.
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Medicare has been around for 50+ years. Works great for me and now for my wife as well. Uncomplicates most everything. It’s part of our culture, has great branding (for the most part) and even the dumbasses that use it love it. One of our most successful pieces of legislation. Republicans would have a hard time trashing it as everyone pays into it.
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