It’s hard to tell without specific details but the plan to replace the Affordable Care Act the Donald Trump appears to be talking about, at least as reported by the Washington Post, sounds a lot like the McCain plan, the plan that John McCain ran on in 2008. That’s re-emerged, sort of like the ground hog on Groundhog Day, every so often in other Republican healthcare reform proposals.
The adoption of the ACA has moved the Overton Window a bit so that for any reform plan to be politically acceptable it needs to have guaranteed issue and, possibly, coverage for adult children under their parents’ insurance plans.
If that were indexed to the non-healthcare rate of inflation and replaced Medicaid and Medicare it would be better than it would be otherwise. Without indexing it would inevitably be a phase out program.
I still wouldn’t be particularly satisfied with it. Once again it would just be deferring necessary reform. It’s a demand side solution and does little about the healthcare system’s supply side problems.
Our system needs dramatic reform and that ain’t it.
It’s sweet the way you try to find ‘policy’ in the random belches and farts emitted by the PEEOTUS. It’s insurance for everybody, Dave, and it’s gonna be yuge! It’s gonna be the bestest insurance ever! It will cover everyone and yet cost nothing. Plus: pony rides and balloons!
The incoming president may tweet but it’s the Congress that will draft and enact legislation.
“The incoming president may tweet but it’s the Congress that will draft and enact legislation.”
Which might well lead to a galactic twitstorm when the inevitable collision occurs.
Good.
I think they are just floating options to see how people respond, or to show that they are doing something. Trump didn’t really show any interest in health care during the election, so I think you are probably correct that Congress will make and pass the plan. However, I think Trump likes to act as though he is in charge, so there may be a push to accept Price’s plan.
Steve
My first suggestion would be to lock everybody in a room, and whichever side is able to beat the other side, by any means – beating, maiming, killing – and by using anything available – fists, belts, lamps, chairs, artificial limbs – wins.
My second suggestion would be to put them all – Democrat, Republican, Obamacare, un-Obamacare – in a hat and draw a winner.
As a compromise, they could have a chicken drop.
The Democrats had their turn screwing it up. It is only fair that the Republicans get to do it as well. Everybody should know this. It could even be used to simplify the IQ test. “Will the Republicans screw up the Healthcare system?” No – subtract 50 points, Maybe – subtract 25 points, Yes – subtract 0 points. To be fair, the test would have the same question with Democrats. A genius would lose no points, but the brain dead would drop 100.
People without health insurance need health care. I am with the VA, and I do not have the foggiest idea of what you all do when you go to the doctors.
If the Millennials want to go down in history as the “Greatest Generation of the 21st Century”, they should scrap health insurance and implement a health care system. The first step would be to toss out anything anybody from previous generations want or desire. They f*cked up the system, and it would be best to let them take it into the grave.
I think that the state of the healthcare system is one thing you shouldn’t blame Baby Boomers for. Medicare and Medicaid were enacted when the very oldest Baby Boomers were 20 years old—too young to vote. Right now just a tiny fraction of Baby Boomers receive Medicare benefits. If by “f*cked up” you mean paid for everybody else’s mistakes, you may be on to something.
The healthcare system was messed up by the Greatest Generation.