Why We Can't Have Nice Things -- Obamacare Repeal Edition

 The stupid, it burns:

... GOP legislators know that their base isn’t interested in the mumbo-jumbo of actual health care experts. These voters are not interested in analysis, or extended debate. They don’t care who’s in favor of it or who’s against it, or for what reason. They’ve been told that Obamacare — which they hate — would be repealed, and the Affordable Care Act — which they like — would be improved.

If that sounds strange, remember that a third of all voters and about a quarter of GOP voters don’t realize these are the same things, and that’s the rub. No amount of expert testimony is going to change anyone’s mind about Obamacare. What the most vocal and angry part of the Republican base wants is a repeal of this thing called “Obamacare” because it is a political symbol and because President Trump promised them it would be repealed, totally and completely, on day one of his administration. What that would mean is as much a mystery to those angry voters as it is to many of the senators who supported that repeal. (our emphasis) -- Conservative Republican and former Senate staffer, Tom Nichols.  

Going on half a century of lies, propaganda and appeals to the fears and basest instincts of people, amplified in the last 30 years by a well- funded, ubiquitous right- wing radio and cable media networks, have brought us to where we are today. Of course, it's not just Obamacare (excuse me, the Affordable Care Act). Republicans foster the same malicious, militant ignorance Nichols notes and apply it to every major political issue today, from immigration to climate change to racism to tax policy. It's who they are.

Sic transit gloria, America.

CBO: Millions Would Lose Insurance Under Graham-Cassidy Bill; Sen. Collins Says NO

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released the bare bones analysis of the monstrous Graham- Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill requested by the Coward Caucus.  Even without a full analysis, the findings are brutal:

The number of people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events would be reduced by millions compared with the baseline projections for each year during the decade, CBO and JCT estimate. That number could vary widely depending on how states implemented the legislation, although the direction of the effect is clear. The reduction in the number of insured people relative to the number under current law would result from three main causes. First, enrollment in Medicaid would be substantially lower because of large reductions in federal funding for that program. Second, enrollment in nongroup coverage would be lower because of reductions in subsidies for it. Third, enrollment in all types of health insurance would be lower because penalties for not having insurance would be repealed. [snip]

The decrease in the number of insured people would be particularly large starting in 2020, when the legislation would make major changes to federal funding for Medicaid and the nongroup market. CBO and JCT expect that market disruptions and other implementation problems would accompany the transition to the block grants created by the legislation—despite the availability of funding specifically designated to assist with that transition—given the short time for planning and making changes between now and then. (our emphasis)

In the meantime, it looks like this POS atrocity will get a "no" vote from Sen. Collins (R-ME). She saw this CBO analysis and finally gagged, it appears.  Look for Sen. Murkowski to follow suit -- she had many of the same issues and was being bribed the same way Sen. Collins was, to no avail.

Cautious optimism.

No Time For Complacency - Rally Against Obamacare Repeal

Over the coming days, people are mobilizing to make sure the latest Obamacare repeal atrocity -- the Graham- Cassidy bill -- is dead.  Even though Sen. McCain has said he will vote "no" on the bill, the situation remains fluid and dangerous. We need to continue to make those calls, send those emails and participate in events.

There are 87 #KillTheBill events scheduled for this coming week around the country.

You are still urged to call or email your Senators (especially the Republican critters) to let them know you'll be remembering their vote at election time.

Remember, these repeal bills are wildly unpopular, except with the extreme right- wing plutocrats that line the pockets of Republican pols:

NEW WaPo-ABC poll: The Cassidy-Graham bill probably won't become law. More than half of America is good with that. https://t.co/MamCLLNHuF

— Amber Phillips (@byamberphillips) September 22, 2017

Let's use our time in the next week to make sure that "probably won't become law" becomes "is as dead as Bill Cassidy's eyes."

McCain Won't Vote For Graham-Cassidy

Great news, virtually assuring Graham- Cassidy's demise (by giving cover to Sens. Collins and Murkowski and possibly others):

Sen. John McCain declared his opposition Friday to the GOP's last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare," dealing a likely death blow to the legislation and, perhaps, to the Republican Party's years of vows to kill the program. 

"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," McCain said in a statement, referring to the bill by Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. 

"I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried," he said. "Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will affect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it."

Since it's never over until it's over, we await word from other critical Senators to make sure Obamacare repeal is dead -- for now.  You can contact Sens. Murkowski or Collins (here's the Senate directory one more time, with phone numbers and email); please keep in mind both are at a minimum neutral or leaning against Graham-Cassidy, so please be your usual polite selves!.

BONUS:

Thank you @SenJohnMcCain for being a hero again and again and now AGAIN

— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) September 22, 2017

Republicans' Pitch To Alaska's Murkowski: If You Like Your Obamacare, You Can Keep Your Obamacare

A new standard in transparent hypocrisy has been set, ladies and gentlemen:

OMG. the @GOP's attempt to buy Murkowski's #GrahamCassidy vote is literally just...

OK ALASKA CAN KEEP #OBAMACARE https://t.co/WMMsl670cg pic.twitter.com/zhXWCX923q

— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) September 21, 2017

That would be the same "failing" Obamacare these sociopaths are so eager to repeal for everyone else.

Also, Republicans are too principled to try any of those "Cornhusker kickback" or "Louisiana purchase" maneuvers, oh yes indeedy!

More Organizations Line Up Against Deathcare Bill

The American Association of Retired People (AARP) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association have joined numerous other organizations in blasting the dangerous and reactionary Graham- Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill.  In a statement published last night, AARP said,

"The Graham-Cassidy (GC) bill, as proposed on September 13, 2017, threatens to make health care unaffordable and inaccessible for millions of older Americans. The bill eliminates two sources of financial assistance – premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions – critical to ensuring that low- to moderate-income older adults are able to afford the coverage they need. For a 60-year-old earning $25,000 a year, premiums and out-of-pocket costs could increase by as much as $16,174 a year if they wanted to keep their current coverage. The bill may also allow states to charge older adults age 50-64 significantly higher premiums than under current law on the basis of their age by waiving federal protections that limit the practice known as age rating." (emphasis added)

Blue Cross Blue Shield similarly declared its opposition to the repeal bill, saying in a statement,

"...we share the significant concerns of many health care organizations about the proposed Graham-Cassidy bill. The bill contains provisions that would allow states to waive key consumer protections, as well as undermine safeguards for those with pre-existing medical conditions. The legislation reduces funding for many states significantly and would increase uncertainty in the marketplace, making coverage more expensive and jeopardizing Americans’ choice of health plans. Legislation must also ensure adequate funding for Medicaid to protect the most vulnerable."

These major organizations join the likes of the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and 16 patient and provider groups (e.g., the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, and the Arthritis Foundation).

Our voices, along with theirs, must be heard at this critical moment on this social Darwinist, cruel bill being pushed by Rethuglican mega-donors...or else. Here is the Senate phone directory to call to urge the defeat of the bill. Time is of the essence.

BONUS:  It looks like Jimmy Kimmel knows more about the dangerous bill than Rethuglicans, according to the vast majority of independent analysts.

Kimmel: Sen. Cassidy "Caught With His G-O-Penis Out"

Continuing his attack on the Graham- Cassidy Obamacare repeal travesty last night, Jimmy Kimmel torches lying weasel Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, and slaps a "phony little creep," as well as Serious Person (and Trump burger- fetcher) Chris "Krispycreme" Christie, too:



BONUS:  Steven Colbert notes that the Republicans' September 30 deadline for passing Graham- Cassidy means "they've got 10 days to overhaul the health care system or everybody lives!"  Watch:



Please share!

Cassidy Compounds Lies About His Obamacare Repeal Bill

POS Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy just can't stop lying his face off. Here are four of his lies from his damage control appearances today compared to the truth (click on image to enlarge):

We'll be watching Jimmy Kimmel tonight. We're sure he has a lot more to say now.

Share, please!

BONUS:  Even the health insurance industry's trade association says this legislation is a disaster.

On Republican Health Care Sabotage, Follow The Money

Yesterday, we linked to this piece in The Guardian from last June, but it bears repeating that Republicans are looking at getting a big payoff from the crackpot Koch plutocrat network if they enact their dystopian agenda, specifically repealing Obamacare and passing massive tax cuts for the wealthy. From June:

At a weekend donor retreat attended by at least 18 elected officials, the Koch brothers warned that time is running out to push their agenda, most notably healthcare and tax reform, through Congress. 

One Texas-based donor warned Republican lawmakers that his “Dallas piggy bank” was now closed, until he saw legislative progress. 

“Get Obamacare repealed and replaced, get tax reform passed,” said Doug Deason. “Get it done and we’ll open it back up.” 

Nonetheless, Koch officials said that the network’s midterm budget for policy and politics is between $300m and $400m.

So, the financial incentive for these monsters has been on the table for some time, which explains the multiple Republican efforts since last spring to repeal Obamacare in the face of overwhelming popular opposition.  Could there be a better example of "the D.C. swamp" than these privileged sociopaths willing to exchange cash for your health and well- being?

The Senate phone directory is here and operators are standing by.

Jimmy Kimmel: Sen. Cassidy "Lied To My Face"

Jimmy Kimmel laid into lying Louisiana Republican weasel Sen. Bill Cassidy, co- sponsor of the hideous Graham- Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill, last night. Jimmy has his facts down cold, and his appeal is powerful. Please share far and wide:



You can go directly to the Senate phone directory and call -- especially if you have the misfortune of having a Republican senator.

Here's a good primer on this odious bill so you have your facts.

Today's InfoGraphic - Pay More Or A Lot More?

(click on image to enlarge)


(Democratic Underground)

Here's the Senate telephone directory.

Obamacare Repeal -- All Hands On Deck (UPDATE)

The slowing unfolding -- but now rapidly approaching -- disaster of the Republican Obamacare repeal bill (Graham- Cassidy) has caught many asleep at the wheel. In their rush to pass this evil bill without hearings and before it can be scored by the Congressional Budget Office, Republican Senators are being upfront about their sociopathic disregard for the well- being of large segments of the American public. We all know where the estimated $80 billion cut from current subsidies and Medicaid will go -- into the pockets of the 1 percent in the form of huge tax cuts. (We know Republicans have also been promised hundreds of millions of dollars by the Koch poltroons if they pass repeal and a tax cut for the rich.)

Coming as it is in a news cycle dominated by hurricanes, tensions with North Korea, and police violence, the Graham- Cassidy bill isn't receiving the attention it normally might. We searched for editorial opinions from the usual suspects only to come up with a blistering salvo from the New York Times (see below);  where's the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, etc.? Meanwhile, several health industry stakeholders have begun to urge their members to oppose Graham- Cassidy. 

But as much as support from such opinion leaders is important, the most important voices by far are yours.  Your town hall presence, calls, emails, etc., have been instrumental in staving off earlier (and less draconian) Obamacare repeal bills. That same intense effort needs to be ramped up immediately as the September 30 deadline approaches. 

There are several targets for pressure that have been identified (although making your opinion heard by any Republican Senator is worthwhile):  Sens. Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), and McCain (AZ). They were the Republicans that stopped the passage of the last attempt to strip health care from millions of Americans; the Graham- Cassidy bill is another vicious assault on those especially vulnerable populations. Sen. Alexander (TN) is currently working on an Obamacare fix bill with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and is another possible vote against Graham- Cassidy.

Please take a moment to call, especially if you're from one of those states, but call nevertheless. The Senate phone directory is here (also has email addresses in some cases). Thank you!

Now for some righteousness.

New York Times:

Republican lawmakers have wasted much of the year trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would deprive millions of people of health insurance. They’re back at it. Like a bad sequel to a terrible movie, a proposal whose main architects are Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina would in many ways be worse than bills that came before. It would punish states like California and New York that have done the most to increase access to health care and set in motion cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides insurance to nearly 70 million people, many of whom are disabled and elderly. [snip] 

It is hard to overstate the cruelty of the Graham-Cassidy bill. It would eliminate the mandate that even healthy people buy health insurance, end the subsidies that help people purchase coverage and stop the expansion of Medicaid. It would offer states block grants they could use to help people get insurance but would leave people at the mercy of individual state legislatures and, over all, would provide $239 billion less than what the federal government would spend under current law between 2020 and 2026, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

American Heart Association/ American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network/ March of Dimes and 13 other groups:

Sixteen patient and provider groups oppose the proposal put forward by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) that will negatively impact patients’ access to adequate and affordable health coverage and care. 

This bill would limit funding for the Medicaid program, roll back important essential health benefit protections, and potentially open the door to annual and lifetime caps on coverage, endangering access to critical care for millions of Americans. Our organizations urge senators to oppose this legislation. 

AARP:

@AARP strongly opposes new healthcare bill that would raise costs and put ppl w/pre-existing conditions at risk. Urging Senate to vote NO. pic.twitter.com/jBtNMKe69Q

— Nancy LeaMond (@NancyLeaMond) September 19, 2017

#GrahamCassidy is just another bad bill that would 🔺 costs & 🔻 coverage. We urge Congress to reject it & the flawed approach it represents.

— AARP Advocates (@AARPadvocates) September 15, 2017

.@lisamurkowski stand strong for Alaskans and oppose #GrahamCassidy, a bad bill that would raise costs and lower coverage!

— AARP Alaska (@AARPAlaska) September 15, 2017

America's Essential Hospitals:

Throughout this year’s health care debate, America’s Essential Hospitals stood by its position that policy changes must maintain coverage for those who have it, preserve access, and protect hospitals that care for low-income and other vulnerable people. 

While we do not yet have a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score for the Graham-Cassidy proposal, the plan appears to violate those core principles. 

It appears to significantly restrict federal health care funding through per-capita caps and block grants, which would shift costs to states, patients, providers, and taxpayers. Further, by taking an approach so close to that of the earlier House and Senate plans, it’s reasonable to conclude it would have a similar result: millions of Americans losing coverage.

American Hospital Association:

We believe that coverage could be at risk for tens of millions of Americans under the Graham-Cassidy proposal. We continue to urge senators to work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges facing our health care system. 

This proposal would erode key protections for patients and consumers and does nothing to stabilize the insurance market now or in the long term. In addition, the block grant to provide support for the expansion population expires in 2026, thereby eliminating coverage for millions of Americans. 

For these reasons, we oppose the Graham-Cassidy plan. 

Please add your voice.

UPDATE:  A number of key Republican Governors have come out against Graham- Cassidy.

Tweets Of The Day - Start Calling

Need we say more?

This is happening. Drop what you are doing to start calling, start showing up, start descending on DC. Game on. https://t.co/WrNVAhXTcJ

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 17, 2017

The fight to save heath care isn't over. Sound the alarm. We need you to fight today & every day until this @SenateGOP bill is dead.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 17, 2017

Senate Republicans are moving quickly to try to pass yet another bill to repeal Obamacare. We must push back. https://t.co/gVrftKb8M3

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) September 16, 2017

🚨Republican bill to rip away health care from millions is gaining steam.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) September 17, 2017

Once again, here's the Senate phone directory. Republicans need to be put on notice that a vote for this bill is a one- way ticket out of office.

BONUS:  Paul Krugman tells us we need to wake up now before it's too late.

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!

Call: Vote "No" On The Motion To Proceed

If you are reading this and live in West Virginia, Ohio, Nevada, Kentucky, Utah or Alaska, please call these Republican Senators immediately and tell them to vote No on today's Motion to Proceed to a debate on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (h/t Daily Kos):

Senator Dean Heller (NV)

Heller DC: 202-224-6244

Heller Las Vegas: 702-388-6605

Heller Reno: 775-686-5770

Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (West Virginia)

Capito DC: 202-224-6472

Capito Charleston: 304-347-5372

Capito Martinsburg: 304-262-9285

Capito Morgantown: 304-292-2310

Capito Beckely: 304-347-5372

Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)

Portman DC: 202-224-3353

Portman Columbus:  614-469-6774

Portman Cincinnati: 513-684-3265

Portman Cleveland: 216-522-7095

Portman Toledo: 419-259-3895

Sen. Mike Lee (Utah)

Lee D.C.: 202-224-5444

Lee Salt Lake City: 801-524-5933

Lee St. George: 435-628-5514

Lee Ogden: 801-392-9633

Sen. Rand Paul (Kentucky)

Paul D.C.: 202-224-4343

Paul Bowling Green: 270-782-8303

Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

Murkowski DC: (202)-224-6665

Murkowski Anchorage: (907) 271-3735

Murkowski Fairbanks: (907) 456-0233

Murkowski Juneau: (907) 586-7277

Murkowski Mat-Su Valley: (907) 376-7665

Murkowski Kenai:  (907) 262-4220

Murkowsi Ketchikan: (907) 225-6880

Jam their phone lines now!

Trump Hoisted With His Own Petard (Again)

Then:

Leadership: Whatever happens, you're responsible. If it doesn't happen, you're responsible.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2013

Now:

"I think we're probably in that position where we'll let Obamacare fail...We're not going to own it. I'm not going to own it. I can tell you, the Republicans are not going to own it." 

Not that it was ever in doubt -- but he never was and never will be a leader.

BONUS:  Charles Pierce --

Everyone is pretending that the president* continues to be credible as a national leader because they're too afraid not to point out that he's one rubber nose short of being a rodeo clown. The country is rudderless, lurching from one self-inflicted crisis to another, and it has become plain that handing the entire governing apparatus over to the Republican party as it is presently constituted is an open invitation to a complete governmental collapse.

Is The Republican Obamacare "Repeal And Delay" Effort Already DOA? (UPDATED)

It's looking like the "repeal and delay" gambit floated by civilization destroyer Donald "Rump" Trump and his chinless, cynical flunky Sen. Mitch "Missy" McConnell is attracting even less support from fellow Republicans than the odiferous Senate TrumpCare bill. One of the so- called "moderates" has already scurried away:

My latest statement on the Senate health care bill & planned vote to repeal Obamacare: pic.twitter.com/yAVIxgptCu

— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) July 18, 2017

Here's why this "repeal and delay" idea is even more deadly (literally) than the now- dead Senate TrumpCare bill (BCRA) and the other sociopath Republican approaches:

The new Senate strategy of #RepealAndDelay will be scored w/ 10 million more in coverage losses than other bills - https://t.co/090lbBeRMQ pic.twitter.com/M13EtWL9k3

— Marc Goldwein (@MarcGoldwein) July 18, 2017

Here's the root of that graphic:

In January, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that repealing Obamacare without a replacement would result in 32 million people losing insurance by 2026, including 19 million who would lose Medicaid coverage. (our emphasis)

That's an even worse shit sandwich for the wavering so- called "moderates" like Sens. Collins, Murkowski, Heller, Portman, etc., to swallow.

For those of you who stood up (and will continue to), you'd better believe it mattered (h/t Balloon Juice):

That's it. Trumpcare is dead.
Nothing matters? Bullshit.
The calls, the rallies, the town halls: it all mattered.
Now we keep fighting. https://t.co/IYquaQyQCR

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) July 18, 2017

Takes a helluvalot to back off a 7-year promise. But nothing scares lawmakers like sustained, passionate activism from their constituents.

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 18, 2017

UPDATE: It's not only merely dead. It's really most sincerely dead --

With their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in tatters, Senate leaders on Tuesday pushed to vote on a different measure that would repeal major parts of President Barack Obama’s health law without a replacement — but that plan appeared also to collapse. 

Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, all Republicans, immediately declared they could not vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement — enough to doom the effort before it could get any momentum.

Sociopathic Republicans Voting Today On Gutting Health Insurance

They've decided today's the day to take affordable health care away from tens of millions of Americans in order to give the wealthy a near trillion dollar tax break.

Just about every organization in the health field, and the powerful AARP,  is strongly opposed to this cruel, reactionary bill (click on images to enlarge):






The vote is proceeding before the Congressional Budget Office can score it (which will occur next week).

House GOP leadership is walking their entire caucus off a cliff.

Wait until the American people see the CBO score of this AHCA monstrosity.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 3, 2017

Yes, just wait.

As Jon Chait notes, it's basically the same POS bill that failed earlier, with a risible fig leaf attached for craven pols to say they've addressed the pre-existing condition flaw:

The heart of the bill is the same one that was polling at under 20 percent and failed two months ago: a near-trillion dollar tax cut for wealthy investors, financed by cuts to insurance subsidies for the poor and middle class. They have added a series of hazily defined changes: waivers for states to allow insurers to charge higher rates to people with preexisting conditions and to avoid covering essential health benefits, and a pitifully small amount of money to finance high-risk pools for sick patients. 

The implications of these changes are vast. The Brookings Institution notes that if a single state eliminated the cap on lifetime benefits for a single employee, then employers in every state could actually follow suit, thus bringing back a horrid feature of the pre-Obamacare system, in which people who get hit with expensive treatment suddenly discover that their insurer will no longer pay for their care. This would affect not only those getting insurance through Medicaid or the state exchanges, but also through their job. (our emphasis)

The resulting ticking time bomb:  personal bankruptcies due to exorbitant medical costs. Guess what will happen to personal bankruptcies, which have gone down significantly since the passage of the Affordable Care Act?

Personal bankruptcy in the US since Obamacare. https://t.co/fCM35IGOJR pic.twitter.com/XKSxREV5qX

— Hank Green (@hankgreen) May 4, 2017

It may be too late to stop this from happening; the vote will be very close and may hinge on one or two cowards making a last minute switch. In any event, whether or not this passes the House or goes anywhere in the Senate, this needs to be the message going forward:  The Republicans are out to get your health insurance, and they'll keep trying until they succeed -- don't ever let them.

I hope the ads run against the Republicans who vote for Trumpcare are the most brutal we've ever seen in politics.

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 3, 2017

American Medical Association Blasts Latest TrumpCare Proposal

Almost none of the media coverage today points any of this out, by the way:

CHICAGO – American Medical Association (AMA) President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D., issued the following statement today about proposed changes to the American Health Care Act (AHCA): 

“None of the legislative tweaks under consideration changes the serious harm to patients and the health care delivery system if AHCA passes. Proposed changes to the bill tinker at the edges without remedying the fundamental failing of the bill – that millions of Americans will lose their health insurance as a direct result of this proposal. 

“High-risk pools are not a new idea. Prior to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, 35 states operated high-risk pools, and they were not a panacea for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions. The history of high-risk pools demonstrates that Americans with pre-existing conditions will be stuck in second-class health care coverage – if they are able to obtain coverage at all. 

“Not only would the AHCA eliminate health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, the legislation would, in many cases, eliminate the ban against charging those with underlying medical conditions vastly more for their coverage.” 

“America should not go backward to the time when our fellow citizens with pre-existing health conditions faced high costs for limited coverage, if they were able to obtain coverage at all. The AMA urges congressional leaders and the Administration to pursue a bipartisan dialogue on alternative policies that provide patients with access and coverage to high quality care and preserve the safety net for vulnerable populations.” (our emphasis)

There's some background on high- risk pools at the link also.

If this abomination passes the House, it needs to be hung around the neck of every Republican running in 2018.

It's not to late to call and let your voice be heard.

The Republican Health Insurance Repeal Bum-Rush Is On -- Call To Make Your Voice Heard!

Republicans in the House are trying desperately to bum- rush their terrible bill repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and replacing it with something even worse than TrumpCare.1. This could happen anytime between tomorrow and Saturday. The basic thrust of the bill hasn't changed. It's still a tax cut for the wealthy masquerading as health insurance "reform." It would still cut Medicare and leave 24 million Americans without health insurance. Any amendment pretending to address coverage for people with pre- conditions is just a fig leaf that woefully underfunds what would be needed for States to set up "high risk pools," an approach that has been a failure in the past. House Republican leadership has even come out and said it just wants to get this abomination out of the House and dump it in the Senate's lap to get the heat off of them. Let's make sure the heat stays on them, shall we?

Here's the current vote count, per the Washington Post.  If you have a Republican Representative and you see their name anywhere on the three lists, please call their office and tell them to vote "no" on the Republican bill (the "American Health Care Act"), and if they don't you'll be voting in November 2018 to put them out of office.  You can call the House switchboard and ask to connect with your Republican Representative's office: (202) 224-3121, or you can call direct using this information. If you're not sure who your Representative is, you can go here and enter your Zip Code.

Today's the day and now is the time.