Posted on 03/01/2019 11:22:57 AM PST by Red Badger
More than 100 House Democrats -- nearly half of the new majority -- have signed on to a new single-payer healthcare bill that supporters describe as "battle ready." If by "battle ready," they mean, "extremely controversial, deeply politically risky, and totally bereft of any acknowledgement of the proposal's eye-poppingly exorbitant costs," they're undoubtedly correct. Politico's story on the legislation is full of extraordinary tidbits and quotes. Here are some of the most important facts we've learned:
(1) The bill "doesn’t include a price tag or specific proposals for financing the new system, which analysts estimate would cost tens of trillions of dollars over a decade." The lead sponsor of the bill says her crew will release a list of "suggested funding mechanisms" at some point in the future. One of these mechanisms, we're told, is "a tax on high earners." If you've been following this debate, you're well aware that targeted taxes on 'the rich' would be woefully insufficient in raising even a fraction of the expected cost. Enormous tax hikes on all Americans would be necessary. This math is not seriously disputed.
And given the comprehensiveness of the proposed 'benefits' in this bill (it goes even farther than Bernie Sanders' Senate version), some experts are already estimating that its price tag (which, again, is missing entirely from the legislation) could be on the order of $40 trillion over its first ten years. This would require roughly doubling the entire federal budget, which already runs a significant annual deficit. It's possible that they believe this plan to be "battle ready" because it hides the ball on cost, allowing proponents to mumble about hazy "investments" instead of confronting real numbers.
(2) Via NBC News, "The legislation's most contentious provision would end private health insurance and replace it with a government system." Yes, virtually all private coverage would be outlawed, forcing every single American into an innovation-crushing, government-run system. Approximately 177 million Americans currently receive private health insurance, either through their employers, or directly from insurers. The vast majority of these people are satisfied with their coverage, according to Gallup. All of these people would be uprooted from their existing plans and funneled into the federal bureaucracy. On the matter of ripping people away from their existing status quo, this proposal gets worse -- both practically and politically:
2. It would sunset Medicare and Medicaid, which are both popular, while (ironically) maintaining the two worst govt health care systems in existence today: the Veterans Affairs health system and the Indian Health Services. — Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D., M.S. (@Neoavatara) February 26, 2019
For years, Democrats have attacked Republicans for "ending Medicare as we know it," often resorting to demagoguery and falsehoods. This scheme would literally end Medicare, creating a brand new, massive entitlement that seniors and Medicaid recipients would have no choice but to join. Please recall that Medicare is already becoming fiscally insolvent at an alarming rate, and that Medicaid is already terribly strained under the weight of its current recipient pool (expanded under Obamacare). Only recipients of the deeply broken VA and Native American health services would be able to keep their plans. In addition to Medicaid, both of these federally-facilitated programs have faced serious crises on access to care and wait times. And again, we have no idea how Democrats would pay for any of this -- and neither do they.
(3) Given the party's grim march toward abortion extremism, it should come as little surprise that this single-payer regime would require taxpayer funding of abortion. One of the few bipartisan truces on this divisive issue at the federal level has been the Hyde Amendment, under which public dollars do not flow to abortions. This would upend that precedent, mandating (unpopular) public funding of abortion.
(4) Minor detail:
For the first five years, at least 1 percent of that massive budget would go toward programs helping millions of health care workers displaced by the creation of a single government-run system, including “wage replacement” and retirement benefits in addition to job training. Jayapal estimated that 1 million to 2 million people in the private heath insurance industry could lose jobs.
(5) Finally, there's this important point:
Isn't it weird that all the Dems who want Medicare for All want to overturn Obamacare and no one asks them about that? That's the last Democratic president's signature achievement and it's no big whoop that the next class wants to get rid of it? — Karol Markowicz (@karol) February 27, 2019
Last time Democrats had full control of government, they jammed through an unpopular program, promising the moon and the stars. All benefits, no drawbacks. This fiction came crashing down as five million people lost their plans, in violation of a core pledge, the federal website faltered, premiums continued to rapidly increase, and insurers fled the marketplace. Obamacare only became quasi-acceptable to many voters when fears over the wages of repeal torpedoed the GOP's replacement efforts. Both of these lessons -- Democrats' Obamacare mess, and Republicans' repeal fiasco -- offer object lessons in the profound political risks single-payer advocates are taking here.
If I like my baby can I keep my baby?
Only if it LGBTQWERTYZXV...................
They want to force everyone to pay for abortion, euthanasia, aids care and sex-change operations.
Everything FREE IN AMERICA!.........................
Promising to eEliminate jobs and put people on the government dole is the democrats new campaign strategery!
They will be debating to see who can promise the most and best economy busting policies.
They will all try to ‘out-FREE’ each other.
Free college tuition.
Free healthcare.
Free jobs for everybody.
Free electricity.
Free transportation.
Free this and free that........................
It’s really going to be interesting watching them all go down the drain........................
Not this %(#U*&#@# again...
They will not stop until they completely destroy the greatest and most advanced healthcare system in the history of the world..................
Will passage of this one require the stupidity of American voters as did ObamaCare?
Since they do not have the Senate nor the POTUS, it ain’t going anywhere.
But it gives everybody a huge HEADS UP into what they WILL DO once they get full control....................
Cause this will get through the senate and the president will sign it.
It’s as safe as voting against obamacare when he was in office and it was a certain veto.
He tends to speak out of both sides of his mouth and seems to try real hard to hide his anti/ never-Trump side.
Will he be ‘for it’ when he discovers that he can’t exclude himself from it?..........ALL PRIVATE HEALTHCARE WILL BE ELIMINATED!......MEDICAID AND MEDICARE WILL BE ELIMINATED!................ YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GO OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM..........................
We make fun of the free sh*t sandwich offered to the imbeciles of America. We cannot delude ourselves how many Bernie supporters last election took a big bite out of that sandwich.
Great comment!
Isn't it weird that all the Dems who want Medicare for All want to overturn Obamacare and no one asks them about that? That's the last Democratic president's signature achievement and it's no big whoop that the next class wants to get rid of it? -- Karol Markowicz
Thanks Red Badger.
They will be 4 years older and hopefully more wise.......................
After obamacare, conservative americans should fill DC by the thousands, and dare ANY congressman who votes in favor of another, socialist, healthcare bill, to come out of their office.
If you pass it, don’t try to leave!
We, the people, have had about enough of this political gamesmanship affecting our daily lives, and families.
You assholes work for us, not the other way around; Pelosi, Schumer, et al, do NOT run the country, and what happens is NOT their choice.
Be forewarned...you’re pushing a spring-loaded agenda.
Except for the wealthy, who will go to all the new clinics set up across the border in Mexico or in the Caribbean. This will include, of course, all the limousine liberals and members of Congress.
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