Trump: Thumbs Down for Obamacare
Obamacare certainly gets people going. Some say it’s tremendous, a real lifesaver. Others agree, but think it doesn’t go far enough. Still others say it’s a complete disaster, and needs to be repealed.
Well, we had an election and the party that won has already tried to repeal it over 60 times. Now the GOP at last has their chance to dump it once and for all and that’s what they plan to do.
Why does the GOP hate it so?
Robin Marty, freelance writer, author, speaker and activist, explains Why Republicans Hate Obamacare So Much (Cosmopolitan, 1/10/17). In this outstanding article, she focuses on the issues the GOP has with entitlement programs, insurance industry regulation, reproductive health and the individual mandate – all dominant features of Obamacare.
Her analysis jives with that of conservative writer Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor of the National Review who observed that many Republicans don’t like how Obamacare further centralized, regulated and made our healthcare system more “coercive.” Looking at the quandary the GOP is in, with the power to repeal Obamacare but unsure what to replace it with, Ponnuru concludes:
. . .Republicans will be handicapped. They aren’t likely to come up with a suitable response to Obamacare if they can’t agree on what’s wrong with it.
What is the GOP plan anyway?
“The plan?” How about four of them? But don’t get too excited. Look behind the curtain and you’ll see they are all strikingly similar and limited in vision.
A Better Way to Fix Health Care (House GOP Leadership)
Patient CARE Act (Senator Orrin Hatch, et al)
Empowering Patients First Act (Representative Tom Price)
Health Care Choice Act (Senator Ted Cruz)
Can we really call them “plans,” when all they do is dismantle effective programs and replace them with what we had before Obamacare – health savings accounts and high-risk pools masquerading as solutions for people?
What’s even weirder is that all four plans would have a similar impact on people. Don’t believe us? Input your income, age and pre-existing condition status into this handy Washington Post Obamacare Replacement Plans tool and see what you get.
Yes, every one of these four plans would result in policyholders paying higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs with less choice of doctors than ever before. And each would place people with pre-existing conditions in ever more jeopardy.
Back to an ugly past
If you have a pre-existing condition, Trump has us on a fast train back to the bad old days before Obamacare. You’ll be facing Health Status Discrimination again, just like before. If you’re lucky, you live in a state that will offer you the option of joining a high-risk pool, even though you’re likely to face limited coverage and long waiting lists. People even died waiting to get on the recently abolished California MRMIP program.
Are These Really Our Only Choices?
No, they’re not! In fact, we want to know WHY are these four plans the only ones the Washington Post offers for comparison when there exists an outstanding replacement plan with none of the problems of the GOP plans?
The Choice They Forgot to Mention
There is a healthcare plan that doesn’t discriminate against people with pre existing conditions, one that removes barriers to care and automatically includes coverage for everyone from birth on. It does not charge any out of pocket costs, and gives you complete freedom to consult any doctor you like, even in another state. The premiums are low and based on income, so everyone pays their fair share.
Drum roll, please!
It’s the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act (Representative John Conyers).
Representative Conyers’ plan already has the support of millions of Americans. It is very similar to the plan that Senator Bernie Sanders included in his platform.
In fact, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a Senate version called The American Health Security Act of 2013. (Conyers’ and Sanders’ bills are not identical but they both share the vision of a Medicare for All healthcare system for everyone.)
Medicare for All will solve many of the problems of cost inflation, healthcare inequality and limited access to care, while leaving our doctors and hospitals independent to give us the best health care in the world (without interference from money-grubbing health insurance companies). So how do we get there?
Step One: California
Since we’re facing a batsh*t crazy Obamaclypse that we are powerless to stop, then why not join together and demand Improved, Expanded Medicare for All!
We know we can’t get any traction at the federal level for years to come because of gridlock and partisanship, but what about at the state level?
What about California? Yes, what about us? We’re the 6th largest economy in the world, with a population the size of Canada. If we want it, we can do it. Terri explains how, check out her latest video:
If you, too, want California to lead the nation with our own Medicare for All system, take action! Join us on Twitter and Facebook, and
Sign our Open Letter to Governor Brown and Our Legislative Leaders!
Dear Governor Brown, Senate President Pro Tem DeLeón and Assembly Speaker Rendon:
California families depend on Medicare, Medi-Cal and Obamacare for our very lives.
Protect these programs, but more.
Give us healthcare that covers everybody for everything for life!