Don’t Care Health Care

May 5, 2017

Of course, the new Republican health care plan, Trumpcare, is worse than the original! Hey, Trumpcare didn’t pass last time because the Freedom Caucus felt it was too generous. You know, the Freedom Caucus, those frisky 31 Tea Partyers who forced John Boehner out for being too liberal. They’re still around and they’re hellbent to out-conservative all comers – even the Donald.

So, to gain the ultra-conservative vote Ryan made Trumpcare more to their liking and, assuredly, gave them a little something to sweeten the deal – could have been anything: campaign financing, junkets to exotic places, freshly acquired souls the last Trump rally. Anything.

Then, poof, the Republican ducks formed a neat row and passed a bill they hadn’t had time to read – a bill not yet scored by the CBO. They needed a quick win; so, Trumpcare was vetted slightly less thoroughly than the General Flynn vetting. Great, now we can expect some discovery as the experts read and interpret the proposed law. Should be exciting.

One change we do know a little about is that preexisting-condition coverage requirements will be deferred to the states. So, that coverage will no longer be guaranteed by the feds; rather, it will be up to the great state of Mississippi, or Nebraska or wherever you live. Oh well, campaign promises are heat of the moment things and what’s important here is a Trump win. Plus, technically, it’s won’t be Trump taking coverage away; it’ll be state governors. A win-win for the Donald.

But, it probably won’t matter since the Senate has no interest in considering the House’s cute little bill. The Upper Chamber is working on its own Trumpcare, quietly, in the dark – like it’s meant to be done. Plus, they aren’t motivated to touch any hot issue so close to the 2018 elections. The Senate slows shit down, by design. It’s what they do. (This should drive Trump wacko. Wanna bet he suggests dissolving the too slow, low energy, Senate?)

So, looks like, over the next year or so, while the Senate considers considering action on health care legislation, we’ll have time to review the health care wish list the Republicans in the House just provided for public inspection. There may be questions.

From day one-hundred-seventy-eight since the election, it looks like Trumpcare may be stalled in the Senate till after day seven-hundred. The republic finds this speculation too good to be true and remains suspicious. Trump is unlikely to respond well to waiting and the Senate is just as unlikely to respond well to pressure. Like I said, should be exciting.

(Did I just call a year and a half of Senate issue dodging with Trump bullying and sabotaging while the House runs continuous victory laps, a scenario too good to be true? I guess realistic expectations ain’t what they used to be, back when America was great)

In Peace and Justice,
osv

PS-
Oh, that preexisting-condition coverage all gone thing – our representatives cleverly wrote an exemption for themselves. So, no worries; you may lose coverage in your state, but your congressperson won’t. So, we have that.