Aren't "Yes" Votes On GOP Health Care Bill In A 'Lose-Lose' Position?
MSNBC reporters Chuck Todd and Kelly O'Donnell are saying that the GOP health care bill is in serious trouble , still, even after President* Trump issued an ultimatum stating that Friday is now or never for this Obamacare repeal effort. The chairman of the House Appropriations committee, Rodney Frelinghuysen, has announced he is voting no later today, and NBC's Todd says this signals that Ryan has released GOP committee chairman from a strict obligation to vote "yes" at the peril of losing their chairmanships. In other words, Ryan may see the futility of it at this point. We will know in a few hours.
GOP congresspeople may be in a lose-lose position in their own minds, and each has to decide the weight of a yes or no vote on their own future electoral prospects. The current bill voted on in the House will not be the final bill passed by the Senate and signed by Trump. There may be an extensive overhaul.
Let's say you are a slightly right of center Republican, what is called a moderate now, and you are under pressure from Ryan and Trump to vote yes so the president and the party can get a win. Let's say you submit to the pressure and vote yes. You have voted for a bill predicted to make health insurance unaffordable for 20 million or so people. Then, the Senate makes adjustments and changes to the bill you voted for, some of them you may like and some you may not like. YOU are still on the hook politically for having voted to make health insurance unaffordable. At the start of next year the election season for house seats will begin.
The administration , and Ryan, rushed to repeal Obamacare without taking the time to develop a good plan. Trump is a horrible partner for Ryan. He has no patience and no political skills, he provides little help and brings little of his own to the table. He is a cheerleader on a titanic.
How will the 'moderates' on health care among the GOP respond to these threats and ultimatums from Trump?
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It makes no sense to vote on a bill that is "dead on arrival" in the Senate, and a number of GOP house members have said so.
The fact is that, as Our Beloved Leader recently learned... healthcare is complicated.
The ACA is a three-legged stool.
1) Coverage of pre-existing conditions.
This was a much needed social measure. But it implies that the system will have to pay for some pretty heavy treatment.
2) Individual mandate.
Since pre-existing problems are no longer a reason to refuse health insurance, many people would be tempted to not take out insurance until they get sick. The mandate means that everyone must get insurance.
3) Subsidies.
The mandate implies that some people will be required to get insurance... that they cannot afford. Therefore, the system includes subsidies for low-income people.
And to pay for those subsidies... taxes. Since it would be nonsense to tax the people who are being subsidized, ACA taxes the ultra-rich.
(This is IMNAAHO the real reason for the GOP's vociferous opposition to Obamacare: their zillionaire masters don't like contributing to the general welfare of the nation.)
All three legs of the stool are essential. Take one away... and the stool collapses. There is no easy replacement for Obamacare.
But hey... it's complicated...
What they would have liked to do is repeal with no replacement. That would only be politically viable in a conservative wet dream though, so they are left to try and mix and match competing interests (mainly in this particular case from right of center interests, as there are no Democrats going to vote yes) . I think Trump's profound ignorance on this issue has hurt Ryan and company badly, because the president brings nothing to the table but his erratic sensibilities.
I think Trump's profound ignorance on this issue has hurt Ryan and company badly, because the president brings nothing to the table but his erratic sensibilities.
Trump is a newbie in this mess. Ryan has been lying since forever. He was able to create a totally sham image as "knowledgeable"... because most Washington reporters do not themselves understand healthcare. Hey! It's complicated...
No deal, which means rapidly escalating health insurance premiums for everyone who isn't on welfare.
In Arizona, prices for a "silver" plan increased 116% in 2017 over 2016.
It's a disaster.
Inadvertently funny -
OMG!
Newt contradicted himself.
Gosh...
These people are pitiful.
Stream of unconsciousness.
LOL, come on Newt, get it together.
If they don't have the votes I think they will call it off. The embarrassment would be too much for Ryan and Trump.
I wonder how much political capital this is costing both of them? How much more capital would they spend calling this fiasco off? This is lose-lose for the Republican party no matter which way it comes out now.
Trump just officially asked Ryan to remove the bill from the schedule , and Ryan agreed. Massive failure for President* Trump.
We can now call formally call Trump a ''LOSER''....and of course Ryan can be ''LOSER II''.
This is YUGE, really really YUGE.
We can now call formally call Trump a ''LOSER''....and of course Ryan can be ''LOSER II''.
They can compete for the title of "The Biggest Loser" . Physically , Trump has more to lose.
I dunno...
I don't think anyone but the tinfoil-hat brigade still imagined Trump as having a brain, even before this cock-up. Most people are going to think, "He screwed up? What else is new??"
But Speaker Ryan? His reputation was built on his supposed healthcare expertise. He won the Speakership when Super-Suntan finally got fed up with herding cats. Now his expertise has deflated... and he has shown that he doesn't know how to herd those cats any better than Boehner did.