Oh what a mess Republicans have gotten themselves in. They can’t agree, they can’t govern.
Never could, never will.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, otoh, explained the truly zombie-like nature of the proposals to cut Medicaid. It turns out that billionaire donors to GOP really, really want that 3.4% net investment income tax that was the funding mechanism for Obamacare repealed. They’re willing to wait, mind you, which gives McConnell et al. plenty of room to cook the results of the 10-year budget window, but the donors have let it be known that any GOP senator will face a litmus test for future campaign donations.
The more they twist in the wind, the more clueless they appear. And are.
Medicaid may ultimately decide the 2018 midterm election. Interesting thought.
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive.”
The Hippocratic Oath says: “First, do no harm”. Any “reform” that leads to FEWER people being covered fails that test. These guys obviously subscribe instead to the Hypocritic Oath
I wish people on our side would not use terms like “reform” and “overhaul” to describe the cuts to Medicaid proposed in the various health care bills. Those are terms with positive connotations. Be honest about what is being proposed: taking nearly a trillion dollars out of Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for rich people.
This right here is the problem:
“There was, No.1, a misunderstanding of how the states have really gotten dug in and how hard it is to take something away once it is expanded,” said Katherine Hayes, a former GOP Finance Committee staffer who is now director of health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“But I think even more importantly … they were not thinking about the other populations that are served by the Medicaid program, including dual eligibles and those with disabilities,” she said.
These people (Ryan) are looking at numbers on a spreadsheet and not the people.
As for the GOP donors using the outcome of votes for how much money they may or may not contribute…hmm those guys only get one vote at the voting booth. If we can keep the pressure up and loud, get more people to the polls, and the candidates talking about people specifically then their money should not be missed.
I think that sums up the problem with RAyn, Carnival Cruz and others pretty succinctly.
Sur garde, citoyens! They’ve got until Oct. 1 to shove through something that will take billions away from Medicaid that they can hand to the already obscenely rich. If we relax for one second, they’ll do it.
Being as you mentioned Sherrod Brown, did you read this article over the week-end?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/sherrod-brown-thinks-he-could-have-helped-democrats-win-in-2016-but-what-about-2020/2017/07/23/168ac16c-6b2d-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html
With my limited memory, I seem to recall that he was not interested in being Hillary’s running mate.
Hey, GOP!
How about eliminating the F-35 and the M-1 Abrams tank or cutting back on oil and natural gas tax breaks? Why is Medicaid the go-to place when you want extra cash?
And yeah, we know why.
Medicare and Social Security are still the 3rd rail of politics. Ryan doesn’t apparently see the consequences of damaging those 2 programs.
Edit to add…
How many failing votes will it take for yertle to admit defeat? When will Congress work for the best interests of those who live here? The core reason insurance premiums are so high is the astronomical cost of medical care. The second reason is pure fucking greed in the insurance industry.
When your party’s motto is “government is the problem” it’s clear they never intended to.
Their whole purpose is giveaways to the rich and large companies which in turn serves themselves…
Considering Social Security kept his family afloat after his father passed away that makes Ryan especially odious
Medicare, Social Security, and now Medicaid. I still hope that we will be able to include Obamacare in the list of untouchables.
We need to stop this GOP friendly term “skinny repeal”.
We have to call it by what it would do.
It is the “death spiral bill”.
I’m riding a shuttle to the Phoenix Rental Car center and strike up a conversation with the guy next to me. His wife is wearing the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m talking get-me-a-baggage-cart-for-just-the-ring kind of large. I asked the guy what he did for a living. His response: “I own a heathcare company.” So, it’s not just the insurance companies making obscene profits.