By Pogo, a Trail Mix Contributor
Well, here we are, playing out this one act play that has been panned so often yet again as the Republican congress tries to kill Obamacare, throw 50 or so million people off the healthcare rolls and cut Medicaid spending way back – all at the expense of the poor and the medical providers who provide care for them.
A final GOP effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act burst into view this week in the Senate, where leaders began pressuring rank-and-file Republicans with the hope of voting on the package by the end of the month.
The renewed push comes nearly two months after the last attempt to overhaul the law known as Obamacare failed in a dramatic, early-morning vote, dealing a substantial defeat to President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and prompting many to assume that the effort was dead.
The latest proposal would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending, repeal the law’s key mandates and enact deep cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled. It would slash health-care spending more deeply and would probably cover fewer people than the July bill — which failed because of concerns over those details.
The appearance of a new measure reflected just how damaging Republicans consider their inability to make good on a key campaign promise of the past seven years: to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.
***
With Democrats united firmly against the bill, Senate GOP leaders can afford to lose only two of 52 Republican votes, enabling them to pass the measure with a tiebreaking vote from Pence. They lost three in the July vote: Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine).
None of those three committed to voting for the bill Monday, expressing reservations if not outright opposition.
***
The proposal would slash health-care spending more deeply and would probably cover fewer people than the July bill, which failed precisely because of such concerns. Under the new bill, starting in 2021, the federal government would lump together all the money it spends on subsidies distributed through the ACA marketplaces and expanded Medicaid programs covering poor, childless adults who earn up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
This approach would generally result in less money for states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and more money for states that didn’t. That’s because it would redistribute the money allotted to the 30 states that opted to expand Medicaid and spread it out among all 50 states.
OK, it’s time for the 3 Republican Senators who showed the LAST time that they actually have a head, a heart and a spine to vote no again and time for those senators who said they would vote no the last time but caved to find theirs.
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“it’s time for the 3 Republican Senators who showed the LAST time that they actually have a head, a heart and a spine to vote no again”
okay pogo, here’s one of the 3, but not for the same reason
Sen. Rand Paul: Graham/Cassidy does NOT repeal ObamaCare and I oppose it
Their sales pitch is, “If you like your ObamaCare, you can keep it.” That’s nice, but I don’t like it, I don’t want to keep it, and I don’t want to keep paying for it.
oops, didn’t mean to imply that rant has “a heart” along with that head and spine or that he voted no the last time, pogo.
some states going their own way. according to wapo yesterday in “After single payer failed, Vermont embarks on a big health care experiment”
[…]
But Vermont is setting an ambitious goal of taking its alternative payment model statewide and applying it to 70 percent of insured state residents by 2022 which — if it works — could eventually lead to fundamental changes in how Americans pay for health care.
“You make your margin off of keeping people healthier, instead of doing more operations. This drastically changes you, from wanting to do more of a certain kind of surgery to wanting to prevent them,” said Stephen Leffler, chief population health and quality officer of the University of Vermont Health Network.
[….continues…]
They can try as many times as they wish, but with the rampant existence of atrophic ballitis within the elected ranks of Congressional Republicans, they’ll never make it stick.
the hill:
William (Bill) Morgan Cassidy (R-La.) fails the “Jimmy Kimmel test” on health care.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday suggested that Sen. Bill Cassidy
“On health care, Cassidy flunks his own ‘Jimmy Kimmel test,’” the host tweeted, along with a link to an op-ed in The Washington Post.
Kimmel’s tweet comes amid a new GOP effort to repeal ObamaCare led by Cassidy and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.). The bill, which would replace much of ObamaCare with block grants for states, is gaining steam in the Senate, and the Congressional Budget Office will release a “preliminary assessment” of the bill next week.
Kimmel was referencing a phrase coined by Cassidy in May, in which Cassidy said the Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare should “pass the Jimmy Kimmel test.”
“I ask, does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test? Will a child born with congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life? I want it to pass the Jimmy Kimmel test,” Cassidy told CNN at the time, when asked if he could support a plan that included yearly or annual insurance caps.
Kimmel made an impassioned plea in support of ObamaCare on his show in May as he revealed his son was born that week with a heart defect.
“Let’s stop with the nonsense. This isn’t football. There are no teams,” Kimmel said. “We are the team. It’s the United States. Don’t let their partisan squabbles divide us on something every decent person wants.
“No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life. It just shouldn’t happen. Not here.”
Kimmel reminded Cassidy in a tweet to follow the “Kimmel test” when Senate Republicans released a draft of their ObamaCare repeal plan in June.
I’ve turned off the TeeVee in the middle of the sak of feces first paragraph; what a cretinous representative of Russian duplicity. I’m going to go cut the grass (after I eat a pumpkin bagel and drink my final cup of coffee; I’m simply not fit to operate power equipment at the moment.)
nbc news: Obamacare Is Suddenly in Grave Danger. Here’s Why.
WASHINGTON — A last-ditch Republican effort to repeal Obamacare picked up steam on Monday as a key senator opened the door to supporting the bill, which is popularly known as Graham-Cassidy.
The GOP got a boost when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was one of three Republican “no” votes in July that derailed the last GOP health care effort, said he might “reluctantly” vote for the bill if his governor supported it.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, backed the legislation later that day. McCain has yet to take a solid position on the measure and has said he prefers a longer bipartisan approach. The Senate Finance Committee announced it would hold a hearing next week on the bill, which could help address his complaints about the rushed process.
Democrats and health care advocacy groups opposed to the legislation, which include AARP and the American Heart Association, are taking the latest Republican push very seriously.
Republicans lawmakers face a tight deadline to get it done: They can only pass the bill using budget reconciliation, which lets them bypass a Democratic filibuster, if they vote before September 30.
[….]
Meanwhile, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the Senate HELP committee, is currently making progress on a bipartisan health care bill with modest Obamacare tweaks. If Graham-Cassidy fails, it could be a fallback option.
[….continues…]
An individual with metastatic cancer will experience a premium surcharge of $142,650 under the Graham-Cassidy bill.
I’d like to associate with Flatus remarks about PG (except for the pumpkin bagel and mowing the lawn)
I’m finished with the yard. Thank goodness it’s cool–only 87. The pumpkin bagel was in the wrong bin–a mistaken purchase on my part. I was pleased to find that there is only a hint of pumpkin in the product–just enough to entice. That’s why Thomas is my preferred prepackaged product of that type.
I’ll never moan about doing the lawn. When Kumcho was staying with my parents during my 65-66 stay in Vietnam she took care of the grass and the snow shoveling. It was a good sized yard but she chose the 1940s mechanical push mower over the new-fangled electric one.
Listened to President PG embarrass our nation before the UN. Someone send me a very good bottle of Scotch. It’s going to take the truly potent to survive in the bomb shelter.
Politico reports this new bill is gaining steam — Patty Murray getting wiggly?
http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/politico-pulse/2017/09/19/the-last-ditch-obamacare-repeal-bill-is-gaining-steam-222360
Collins, murkowski, Paul- with McCain voting yes Patty Murray would put it over the top. Didn’t know she didn’t plan to seek reelection.
Wont Matter. Rand will vote yes like the last vote. He talks a good game but isn’t much beyond the bluster.
I guess the Repugz don’t think they need the vote of anyone over the age of 50? As retirement approaches, folks start thinking about this stuff. There goes their base.
Why in the F can’t they do something about insurance companies price-gouging? My small-company plan was going to increase by 22% if we were to keep it, even though our claims were small & our broker told me they made six figures in profit off of us. We found a different company with a smaller increase over this year’s premiums.)
I do feel for SOME of the medical providers. But they have their own game: Bill a much higher price than negotiated with the insurance company & call the difference a loss in order to reduce taxes.
Why in the F can’t they do anything about BigPharma price-gouging?
If they would fix the ACTUAL problems instead of HOW the problems are being administered…
Sack up, Repugz. Sack up.
I’d like to see all of the late night hosts refer to the Jimmy Kimmel test. (They’re a friendly bunch who’ve been on the other hosts shows, so network barriers be damned.) A wider audience for a clear example of how things aren’t working, will only help.
Trump’s lawyer. Ha! He leaked all over himself.
No more closed doors for you. Now you get to be grilled in public!
Cohen must sell ocean front property in Arizona in his spare time. The committee needs to talk in closed session with the guy who compiled the dossier before they talk with the people named in it. Jesus, this is not that hard – unless you’re trying to make sure nothing comes of your investigation.
Flatus,
The Pumpkin Bagel was meant to be. A fork in the breakfast road, so to speak. And you took it.
We have a local chain, Bagel Jay’s, which is quite good. I love their sesame: nothing fancy, just well flavored dough with (non rancid) toasted sesame covering the top AND bottom. I do not toast. I enjoy them in their natural state.
I wish Rand would go down to his semi-private barber shop, get a wash, then curl-up and dry.
Did I misunderstand? Rand Paul will vote NO?? He still needs a new-do.
if they let amendments be voted on for this Cassidy catastrophe, I do hope the one that takes away their taxpayer paid insurance (and leaves them with the rest of us to the whims of big insho and big pharma) comes up and a roll call vote is required for it.
BiD
Texas screwed their citizens by not going along with the ACA and unfortunately, you are one of the people paying the exorbitant price.
Craig
As of 30 min ago, Patty Murray was opposed on Twitter. Steady stream of negative tweets against.
So far only one Republican — Sen. Rand Paul — has definitively refused to support the Graham-Cassidy bill
[….]
Has serious concerns
Sen. John McCain (Arizona) — “Deeply disturbed” by the lack of regular order on the bill, still looking at it “carefully”
Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) — Undecided but has concerns about Medicaid cuts, coverage numbers, and the fact that the full CBO score won’t be ready in time.
Wow, this is a milestone. My first ever senior discount. At Disney’s dine-in movie theater where we are going tonight to see Dunkirk — $2 off for over 60. Cool. Still no grey hair, will I get carded?
earlier there was a small one in Los Angeles… now
Buildings fall as 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Mexico
Craig… I got my first senior discount on the day of my 60th birthday at an American art museum in Ogunquit Maine. I didn’t need to show a card…. just a friendly “happy birthday” and “here’s your discount”. And…. I don’t have any grey hair yet either.
As for this thread’s topic…. what’s to say other than…. repubs = fucking jerks!
Here, every few years, they don’t apply the grey market discount just to see if I’m on my toes. If I turn 82, they’ll deduct 1-% of the food tax as well.
SJ, I have at least one bagel every morning, usually two. I just crisp the cut side then eat them plain. I’ll buy six or eight sleeves of the Thomas when they are on sale then freeze them; couldn’t afford them otherwise.
I implied that my hair color is grey. My drivers license says white.
Hi Flatus,
I like making bread. Recently into recipes using the old fashioned sponge & also sourdough. They make the best toast.
Have had success with Salt Rising Bread too. I ferment the cornmeal mash, no added packaged yeast allowed.
SJ
Around Easter time about 50-years ago Gourmet Magazine had a beautiful photo of a round loaf of Irish salt-rising bread on its cover; it was wonderful. And you’re correct, they do make fine toast!
Reading Hillary’s book. Cute poem sent to her that had originally been written for Adlai Stevenson:
The election is now over
The result is now known.
The will of the people
Has clearly been shown.
Let’s all get together;
Let bitterness pass.
I’ll hug your elephant;
And you kiss my ass.
The Festival continues. Grouper ceviche with plantain chips at Gloria Estefan’s restaurant Bongos, then to the movie.
This is a good one for this well read group: Top 100 Most Difficult Novels. How many have you read. I only hit 55 out of the 100 (several on the mean to read list) but that still put me at 820 out of 54,000.
http://www.listchallenges.com/goodreads-top-100-most-difficult-novels
Jamie any list that has both Ayan Rand novels is suspect, imo, I will have to admit that they do rank in there with the most unreadable. A lot of them on that list that I have read were done so only because it was required reading. Most I have never read again, a sign that they really weren’t that good.
Jack
Afraid when it comes to reading “great books” I tend to get distracted by mysteries and historical novels. :0
My Annual Fall Post featuring one of my favorite paintings