Obamacare Repeal Is Alive And We Need To Kill It (Again)!

We noted the looming specter of the latest Obamacare repeal bill, known as "Graham-Cassidy," which would block grant diminishing funds to states (gone by 2026) and allow them to end Medicaid expansion and drop current requirements such as coverage for pre- existing conditions.  In short, it's a monstrosity that could only be offered by sociopaths not caring about the 32 million people that would lose coverage, but only about a last- minute "win" for themselves and that odious POS, Donald "Rump" Trump. It's who they are: rotten to the core sociopaths.

E. J. Dionne, Jr., sounds the alarm today:

Before supporters of universal health coverage get all wrapped up debating a single-payer system, they need to focus on a dire threat to the Affordable Care Act likely to come up for a vote in the Senate before the end of the month. 

The latest repeal bill is an offering from Republican Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) that would tear apart the existing system and replace it with block grants to the states. Block grants — flows of money for broad purposes with few strings attached — are a patented way to evade hard policy choices. All the tough decisions are kicked down to state capitals, usually with too little money to achieve the ends the block grant is supposed to realize. 

Because Graham and Cassidy are civil interlocutors and have sounded more reasonable than many of their Republican colleagues in talking about health care, there is an unexamined assumption that their proposal must be more sensible than other approaches to repeal. 

But it’s not. In fact, it would be disastrous. In certain respects, it’s even worse than earlier repeal measures, which at least kept some of the structure of Obamacare’s subsidies in place. This bill would simply blow them up.  (our emphasis)

To remind us of the horrors of this bill, here's a summary prepared by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (click on image to enlarge):



We need to focus and take this very seriously. Thinking that the Republicans have abandoned this issue is a recipe for disaster.  As long as there is any possibility they can afflict the afflicted while shoveling money to the 1 percenters, they'll take a shot at it.

Finally, for those who are already looking ahead to a single- payer system, Dionne offers a sober reminder:

This is a matter of urgency because the authority the Senate has to pass Obamacare repeal with just 51 votes expires Sept. 30. So if the bill comes up, it would probably hit the floor the last week of the month. All who care about the expansion of health-care coverage need to focus their energies on defeating this latest attack on Obamacare. However we eventually arrive at universal coverage, which we must, it will be far easier to get there by building on the ACA. (our emphasis)

It's particularly important to call if you have a Republican senator, specifically if that senator is Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK) or John McCain (AZ). All three voted against the last "skinny repeal" bill that was floated. Spineless weasel Dean "Old Yeller" Heller (NV) is sponsoring the bill and should hear holy Hell from his constituents about it, as should Bill "Kimmel Who?" Cassidy (LA). One Republican is already on record as opposing the bill (Rand Paul doesn't think it does enough harm to Americans).

Let them hear you!  The Senate phone directory is here. Thank you!