Well, after weeks of secrecy, the Senate version of Obamacare “Repeal and Rewhatever” (PDF) is here. Remember, the House version of the ACHA would result in 23 million people becoming uninsured, and even Trump called it “mean”. Is the Senate version any better? Not much: Here is how the Senate bill works: The Senate bill begins to phase out the Medicaid … Read More
Senate Republicans Getting Hit From All Over
This screenshot from Memeorandum gives a sense of the bind that Senate Republicans are in over their very long and VERY SECRET internal negotiating (by 13 white men) over their healthcare bill. House Republicans insist that their terrible mean bill (which knocks 23 million off of healthcare) doesn’t get altered too much, and Democrats — well, they just want to … Read More
The Trumpcare Fight
It was thought that Trumpcare, having passed the House, would die when it got to the grown-ups in the Senate. Nope. They’re trying to pass it. Or something. I can’t criticize the Senate version of Trumpcare. Because nobody knows what it is. We only know a few things. All reports say there will be no hearings on the text of … Read More
To These Guys Everything Is A Partisan Conspiracy Against Their Perfect Great Idea
To these guys everything is a partisan, somebody else to blame conspiracy against their perfect, great idea: It’s become the knee-jerk reaction for Republicans, in light of an ugly Congressional Budget Office analysis of their Obamacare repeal bill, to point the finger at the non-partisan research agency instead. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney took it a step further … Read More
Abomination
The Plum Line, this morning: I won’t mince words. The health-care bill that the House of Representatives passed this afternoon, in an incredibly narrow 217-to-213 vote, is not just wrong, or misguided, or problematic or foolish. It is an abomination. If there has been a piece of legislation in our lifetimes that boiled over with as much malice and indifference … Read More
Crucial Vote on Healthcare Today
The ACHA, once thought dead, got revived yesterday. The big change? 8 billion for states that choose to create high risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions. Of course, the fact that this 8 billion boondoggle (which goes to insurance companies) exists only highlights the lie that “no changes are being made with respect to pre-existing conditions”. And 8 billion, … Read More
Obama Finally Weighs In On Health Care Issue
My wife and I welcome a new baby and it is quite a story… https://t.co/VTT0oBsRFK — Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 2, 2017 Well said, Jimmy. That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations! https://t.co/77F8rZrD3P — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 2, 2017
TrumpCare 3.0 (4.0?) Is Dead Pretty Much
The Hill reports: House Republicans have an updated bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and The Hill has a new whip list. The updated bill includes an amendment that would allow states to opt out of key ObamaCare rules, including on minimum coverage requirements and allowing insurers to charge more based on individuals’ health. Those changes are designed to win … Read More
The New ACHA Is Even Worse
I could talk about how terrible the revised Republican repeal of Obamacare plan is, but the best evidence is that the Republicans themselves decided to exempt Members of Congress from living under it. In other words, THEY (and their families) get to keep Obamacare, while their proposed new law takes it away from everyone else. Here, read this.
How Is AHCA Doing?
Depending on which news organization you look at, if the Republicans lose 22 or 23 votes, the AHCA is dead in the House. The voting is taking place today, and the bill is changing with little giftees for certain districts. Here is a wrap-up of where we are so far on the vote count, but pay close attention to the … Read More
Speed Read: The House Obamacare Replacement Bill
From Axios: The House Republican Obamacare replacement package is finally out, and the two main health care committees — Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce — are scheduled to start working on the bills on Wednesday. Here’s your speed read on what’s in them — summaries are available here and here: In: Pre-existing condition coverage Continuous coverage — 30 … Read More
Draft Republican Plan Leaked
Politico has obtained a draft bill from House Republicans for Obamacare repeal. The draft closely follows proposals put forward by House Speaker Paul Ryan and the proposal Tom Price introduced last year. He’s now popular vote loser Donald Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. It defunds Planned Parenthood completely. For everybody. No matter what they visit PP for. But … Read More
NOW They Are Asking What Would Happen If Obamacare Is Repealed
Winning is easy; governing is hard. It is easy to get people – especially Republicans — to hate Obamacare. For one thing, it has the name of the 44th President attached to it. That alone gets many people to dislike it. On top of that, it DOES have many problems. Rates this past year jumped bigly, and many plans now … Read More
HRC’s Fact Sheet On Mental Health
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton released her plan regarding mental heath. This is a topic near and dear to me, so I am reprinting her plan in full.
Rape Survivor Jailed
Lovely: A bipolar rape survivor was jailed for nearly a month in Houston after she broke down while testifying against her rapist. In jail, she was allegedly abused and mistaken as a sex offender. Now she’s suing the prosecutor who sent her to jail, a jail guard who allegedly hit her, and others. The 25-year-old woman, known as Jane Doe, … Read More