Posted on 12/01/2010 8:42:13 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Offered as a correction to this morning’s Headline item. Initially, the Hill reported that Cantor wanted to retain ObamaCare’s framework for preexisting conditions. Not so, as they now note in a postscript to the article: He wants to repeal the whole thing, then replace it with a GOP bill that will have its own, different preexisting conditions provision — but no individual mandate.
How that’s going to work in practice, I have no idea.
Cantor stressed that while he supports full repeal of the current law, Republicans share some of the same goals as Democrats, although they propose different ways of achieving them.
“We too don’t want to accept any insurance company’s denial of someone and coverage for that person because he or she may have pre-existing condition,” Cantor said, addressing a young woman in the audience who noted that she had a pre-existing health condition.
“And likewise we want to make sure that someone of your age has the ability to access affordable care, whether it’s under your parents plan or elsewhere,” Cantor added.
If you’re serious about covering people with preexisting conditions, you’re going to have to subsidize them one way or another. Either you do it by forcing everyone to buy insurance and use the larger premium pool to cover the costs of care for those who are sick, or you bite the bullet and treat this as what it is — welfare for the infirm, a.k.a. Medicare — and let the state pay for them, which means tax hikes to cover the cost. Both options are heresy for Republicans. In fact, so important is the mandate to paying for preexisting conditions coverage in ObamaCare that some think if the former is struck down in court, the latter will have to be tossed out with it. Ace is right that Cantor’s reassurances will make it easier politically to repeal O-Care if the opportunity arises, but what happens if the opportunity does arise and then suddenly the GOP can’t figure out a way to square the cost circle? Are we going to cut other programs to offset the costs for covering preexisting conditions? If so, which ones? He’s making some mighty expensive promises here.
Update: Philip Klein’s underwhelmed by those mighty expensive promises:
Overall, the GOP plan was not very ambitious and is not a true free market alternative. It does allow Americans to purchase insurance accross state lines, but it doesn’t remove one of the biggest barriers to the creation of a free market for health care, which is a tax code that discriminates against those who purchase insurance on their own instead of through an employer. Nor does it include any significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid.
While stopping short of forcing insurers to cover those with pre-existing conditions, the plan would force states to set up “qualifying” federally-subsidized high risk pools or reinsurance programs. It would also make dependents out of everybody through the age of 25, so younger Americans can stay on their parents policies longer. Under ObamaCare, the age is 26.
By all means, the first order of business for conservatives is finding a way to repeal ObamaCare. But winning the health care debate in the long-run will require much bolder solutions than Republican leadership has embraced thus far.
Update: John McCormack of the Standard reminds me of this Capretta/Miller piece from earlier this year about how high-risk pools for those with preexisting conditions might work.
OK, I feel better about Cantor.
Could someone please explain to me why Cantor is in a position to be authoritative? He’s embarrassing himself and pissing off those of us who voted for a complete overhaul of the Feds.
Hey you effing moron! We don’t want anything about this bill to survive.
Repeal it or you’ll start seeing your career dissipation light in your left eye!!!
Covering pre-existing conditions is a "feel good" measure which is just totally stupid and indicative that economics are not the guiding factor here -- this is about "social justice".
If it's a preexisting condition, then you aren't buying insurance, you're buying a finance plan, right? I mean, you wouldn't walk into an Allstate office, sign up for new auto insurance and :30 seconds later ask them to fix the dent you had before you walked into the office, right?
I'm not sure what the answer is, but forcing companies to pay for preexisting conditions, isn't it. Rates are going to raise, putting insurance further out of the reach of individuals and small businesses.
What a jerk. First the government makes the insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. Then the insurance companies try to raise their rates to cover the costs. Then the government tells them, no, you can’t raise rates. Then they shut down and drop all their customers.
Sounds like Obamacare to me.
Stop being such a JERK, Cantor. If the GOP is going to continue to try to be the Party of Me Too, then all of you are FINISHED. DONE. OUT OF THERE!
A house on fire homeowner with no fire insurance by choice, shouldn't be able to call for fire insurance when it catches on fire, and with Pre-Existing Conditions, the same holds true; ESPECIALLY if the "pre-existing condition" is SELF-INFLICTED (such as AIDS, DRUG USE, etc.)
This will kill insurance companies all by itself(pre-existing condition immunity).
That means that if you get diagnosed with a terminal illness, you can still buy an insurance policy after you get the news.
This health care law must have a stake driven through its heart. If any trace of it remains, it can still go into effect and kill the economy.
Is being ‘sick’ of work a covered pre-existing condition?
I’m in Cantor’s district and didn’t vote for him this time. I’ve met and talked to him personally, privately. He’s a RINO mostly interested in position & power....old school Republican, and not a true conservative.
I wrote him a protest letter about TARP when Bush was president, and got a form letter response that was written to the hundreds or thousands who had protested like I did. It was all spin.
If I meet him again, I’ll say, “Why don’t you make all auto insurance companies accept pre-existing conditions then? I can total my car, the call up Allstate, Nationwide or GEICO and say, ‘Hey, you gotta insure me now and pay to get my wrecked car fixed!’ “
You remove all actuarial and accounting bases for the whole concept of insurance, and you destroy the industry.
DUH!!!!
There were zero posts to this when I started writing mine.
In the short time it took me to write mine, there were 8 ahead of me!
We were writing the same thoughts at the very same time......
I live in Cantor’s district. I supported him based on “REPEAL”! I went to his victory party. But I was starting to wonder why I was seeing more Cantor stickers on beat up Subarus next to “Coexist” stickers. Now I know. I feel used.
Imagine there is no gov’t intervention in the insurance market ... short of the usual you must follow your contract. Don't you think you could negotiate a policy to cover your 45-year old 'child', or your high blood pressure, or whatever? Seems to me a free market would take care of that.
Failing that, since we seem to be so afraid of not having the government control things, there should at least be a long waiting period on pre-existing conditions. Looking for insurance when you've always been insured and have a preexiting condition that has been covered for years is a bit different than running uninsured for 25 years and then going for the coverage when you get the diabetes diagnosis.
Yes it’s nice to cover preexisting conditions, but how to pay for it? Either jack up the rates big time to cover the risk. Or make everyone buy insurance (individual mandate) to spread the risk and cost.
Either way, we end up back to where we are now.
Someone once told me I could count on Cantor to do the right thing. I’ll stop listening to that guy.
If I have the pre-existing condition of diabetes, does that affect my insurability for breast cancer? Are we talking about adjusting rates for risk factors, or refusing entirely to insure any but the perfectly healthy?
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