Senate Dems Pass The Popcorn And Watch GOP Squirm Over Obamacare

[DonViejo]

Republicans can repeal and replace Obamacare as soon as January now that they have the House, the Senate and the White House at their fingertips, but Senate Democrats aren't so sure they can actually follow through.

After years of Republican campaign ads railing against Obama's signature health care law, rumors of death panels and fear mongering over government-controlled health care, Democrats are waiting for Republicans to unveil their big repeal and replace plan. "They know it's something they need to deliver on and Trump's already backing off," said Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-D). "I don't think they've ever considered that they might actually have to make decisions."

Already, Republicans have tried to manage expectations. The chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), warned last week it could take years before a full repeal and replace plan is implemented. And Republicans aren't eager to talk about the specifics of how they actually plan to overhaul a health care law and not leave millions in the lurch.

President-elect Donald Trump has tried to assuage concerns that he'd yank protections for people with pre-existing conditions by saying they'll remain. But even that is a heavy lift for Hill Republicans. The solution for keeping premiums from skyrocketing while protecting people with pre-existing conditions was the individual mandate and Republicans won't be keeping that.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/i-got-to-see-replace-dems-bait-gop-to-unveil-and-ocare-replacement

[spanone]

1. K&R...

[Omaha Steve]

6. Me too

Typical R...

K&R!

[Wounded Bear]

2. Some hard learning to be done in America the next few years....

Maybe we failed by trying to soften the blow up til now. Like how the bailout prevented the Great Recession from becoming the Great Depression II. It appears Repubs must have their crash. I suspect the economy will crash before 2020.

We don't learn unless significant pain is experienced, it seems. The ACA has helped the economy, pretty much all economists that aren't died in the wool supply siders know that. Trash that, and the rest of the economy will follow soon.

[workinclasszero]

11. War, recession and exploding deficits incoming

Its what republicans always do.

Maybe this time they will bring on the next Great Depression.

Millions of Trump voters will shed bitters tears after he and his party destroys them.

[MoonRiver]

3. It's going to be a hell, literally, of a show.

[alterfurz]

7. Just to give our current situation some historical perspective...

...I believe it was Aristotle who said, "What a fucking shit show." — Andy Borowitz

[LeftInTX]

4. Why do I not feel like I'm passing the popcorn

[madinmaryland]

21. It feels like we passing around a pile of shit.

[LongTomH]

26. I feel like I'm trying to pass something with sharp edges!!

[3catwoman3]

28. More like passing...

...barf bags.

[duffyduff]

5. The GOP KNOWS it is fucked if it tries it. They KNOW they have no mandate to do it.

And Medicare and SS? The END of the GOP if they pull that crap. Mark my words, Paul Ryan's Ayn Rand-addled brain notwithstanding.

[Wounded Bear]

12. This true if you assume the continuation of our Democracy...

Repubs have been plotting for permanent one party rule for a while.

Will be some serious testing of that "lousy piece of paper" coming. I sure hope it passes the test.

[duffyduff]

14. You make assumptions that aren't true.

They will never, ever get away with it. Plenty of Republican politicians don't believe in the libertarian bullshit.

[harun]

34. Right wingers I know think they can just "go back" to the insurance

they had about five-ten years ago after repealing the ACA. Little do they know that they can't and even if they could it would be about ten times more expensive than it was back then. Completely out of reach of 99% of people.

GOP senators are going to be faced with knocking about 20 million people off insurance with no chance in hell they can afford any health care at all. Good luck with that strategy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. We all know the solution is single-payer coverage - Medicare for everybody -

but that's even less likely now than it ever was. What the GOP is up against is the fact that there's no way to require private insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions and not cap lifetime coverage unless you have a very large pool of premium-payers. It doesn't work without the individual mandate because in a system of private insurance it's too expensive (and we have to be sure the insurance companies make their millions, right?). So, they can repeal the ACA and leave 20 million people with no insurance, or no affordable insurance (the same thing). How will they sell that?

Stay tuned.

[duffyduff]

15. They won't insure the elderly. That is why Medicare exists.

Paul Ryan is a fucking moron who wasn't even alive when Medicare became law. He is an ideological dipshit.

[andym]

33. They're busy working on Medicare for Nobody

with Ryan's voucher program.

[Aristus]

9. All those trolls in Cooter's Notch, WV, and East Cornhole, Mississippi who voted for Trump,

are gonna be pissed when it finally percolates down into their tiny, little lizard-brains that Trump is taking away their only access to healthcare...

[LenaBaby61]

13. All those trolls in Cooter's Notch, WV, and East Cornhole, Mississippi who voted for Trump.

They'll figure like this:

"Well, as long as those "N@@@@@s" and "Beaners" don't have health care EITHER like we don't, and as long as they lose their homes and may have to live under a bridge like we may have to, it's all good."

I don't ever underestimate the ignorance/racism of Cooter Notchians and East Cornholeans.

SMDH.

[phylny]

25. I'm not so sure. I work with these people - many of their children

are on Medicaid, many are on SS disability and grandparents are on Medicare. It'll take a little while, but they'll be affected.

The sad thing is, yes, many of them voted for Trump, but many of them didn't vote at all.

[edhopper]

10. What they will manage

is how it is perceived. They have no problem with sky rocketing cost and leaving millions without insurance. Or eliminating any of the helpful ACA provisions.

[duffyduff]

16. It will be the end of their party if they mess with the Third Rail.

Even the morons who voted for Trump have a line in the sand.

[edhopper]

19. Bush already tried

with full Party support, and yet the GOP flourishes

[duffyduff]

22. But it never happened because people raised hell and it was shot down.

I am very confident this bullshit will never make it through Congress. Medicare and SS gutting, I mean.

Realize these guys, despite all of their bluster, do want to be re-elected. Hell, they want to LIVE.

[edhopper]

27. You have to look at the tea party make up

of the GOP Congress now. Hell, the Medicare destruction is coming from the head of the House.

They'll do it if the have the chance.

[flamingdem]

17. I agree, I've seen the Trump trolls saying that the 20 million don't matter

because most of us (the non "losers" in their propaganda ploy) get insurance through work. Of course the ACA impacts that too.

[lark]

18. Once again, the Emperor has no clothes.

There's a lot of sound and fury to rile up the base, but there's no actual there, there. they have had 8 years and have never come up with anything resembling a plan. That BS about savings accounts and let insurers sell across state lines is pure rw failed dogma and will do nothing for those who don't already have healthcare plans or the working poor. I've worked in medical billing for 20 years and there are 2 types of insurance plans at an ultra basic level. There are governmental plans that cover everyone who qualifies, either by age, income or service (Tricare), those aren't counted here because they aren't for the populace at large. the other types are networked plans and what I call price supports. Network plans are state by state driven because of the need for a restricted network where drs agree to accept a certain level of payments (usually expressed as a percentage of Medicare) in return for referrals. it would be difficult for the insurance to establish and maintain multi-state networks, it would probably not be feasible at all. then there's the other kind of coverage which is very limited. Pre-ACA, I've seen plans where they pay 50% of reasonable and customary charges and the patient owes the other 50%, I've even seen plans that pay $30 for an office visit and the patient is responsible for all charges over that amount. I've also seen plans that will cover 1 hospital admission per year of no more than 3 days and will not cover anything else. People with these types of plans rarely realize what they are paying for and the almost no coverage they receive.

What they really want to do is privatize Medicare so they can use our money for more goodies for the already ultra rich, that is the bottom line.

[duffyduff]

23. Yep, which is why this shit proposal by Ryan will get shot down.

He is a "libertarian" so he opposes any governmental interference in the marketplace.

He is a goddamned moron who wasn't even BORN when Medicare became law. Medicare became law because seniors by definition could not be insured.

I would wager that Medicare, along with Social Security, has been instrumental in people living longer in this country.

[Vinca]

20. Maybe it will dawn on them that there are Republicans on Obamacare who are only alive

because of it. Chances are, given the general GOP inability to accomplish anything, it will remain mostly intact.

[BeyondGeography]

29. Like this guy

[lindysalsagal]

24. The clown has no idea that financial solutions are connected to other countries

and our own laws, not the least of which is the constitution.

To him, everything is just a financial exchange.

[BigBearJohn]

30. The Repukes will destroy Obamacare then blame the ensuing mess on the Democrats

Mark my word. They will say, "Just LOOK at the MESS the Democrats have once again left us poor Repukes to clean up."

[treestar]

31. lol maybe they can see their version of the emoprogs

not fast enough!!!!!!!!

Let's get Congress back in 18 to increase that pain for them.

It's going to be such a disaster. The backlash will be glorious.

[Afromania]

32. cowards, the whole lot.

They have been talking about repeal and place on the ACA since day one. Well, now they have the stage all by their little selves, bless their wretched hearts. There isn't anything to hide behind once they pull the rug out from all of us including their worshipe..... voters. It's time to go ahead and relieve the "Cooternoochians" of their "Obamacare" and replace it with whatever else. When the shit hits the fan they'll eat each other alive trying to pass the blame along when this all goes wrong.

I'll be my bottom dollar that once they do actually do something it will probably resemble what they just struck down. Then to make sure their stink is on everything it will have a new name like Regancare, Ryancare or something stupid and gimmicky like Health!NOW! Everything will almost be exactly the same except you'll get slightly less coverage and the premiums might be a little more, and of course the junk $69 a month, and cover nothing, plans will be back. The"Cooternoochians" won't complain because they don't have that gosh darn horrible stinkin' "Obamacare". They now have Health!NOW! Tin level plan and it's the best ever. They won't even realize the scam that was run on them.

[awoke_in_2003]

35. They may as well

since they have spent the last year allowing the republicans to get away with not doing their job (hearing SC nominees).

[eleny]

36. Yup, the dog finally caught the car nt