Unhealthy Hysteria

Good Morning, Breakfastpoppers. Today is Sunday, May 7, 2017. Our creative friend, Spider Harlotte, has produced a delightful breakfast for us this morning. She is disgusted by the insane reaction Democrats and the media are having in response to the Republican plan to replace the floundering Obamacare. Please join Harlotte and me for fresh home baked croissants and homemade jams. We'll talk about the new plan while we enjoy our croissants and lattes. We hope to see you soon. The door is open, awaiting your arrival.

Thank you all for joining Pop and me this morning. If you listen to the ranting and raving of the Democrats, you would be certain that the Republicans are trying to kill off all of us. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but the truth doesn't count for very much these days. The proposed bill no longer requires people to buy insurance through the exchanges if they want to use federal tax credits to purchase coverage. As of right now, there are many people who can't buy insurance because the exchanges have collapsed, and no coverage is available. The new bill also eliminates the tax penalty for refusing to have coverage. That is an excellent change, because so many people, particularly young people, preferred the penalty to the exorbitant cost of Obamacare. The insured should make every effort to maintain coverage because the new bill forbids insurance companies from terminating their insurance or charging more for pre-existing conditions, provided their coverage is continuous. In other words, if insurance lapses for more than 63 days, insurance companies can charge a 30 percent penalty above the yearly premium for one year. This provision is reasonable. Those seeking coverage have to take charge of their health and their health coverage.

The new bill tosses out the income-based tax credits and subsidies and replaces them with tax credits based upon age. The credits would range from $2,000 a year for young people to $4,000 a year for those older than 60. The new bill eliminates all the taxes that were in the ACA. The hope is that premiums will come down. Right now Obamacare premiums are out of sight. It's no wonder that so many Americans go through life without coverage. If you can't afford it, but you don't qualify for Medicaid, you are out of luck. Speaking of Medicaid, the ACA expanded the coverage, a cost so devastating that states could not handle the burden. The proposed plan eases that expansion beginning in 2019. It reduces federal reimbursements to states for people who leave the program. States would be granted a specific amount of money for Medicaid participants or it would allow them to receive a pre-determined dollar amount. The goal is to significantly reduce the total cost of Medicaid.

One of the many problems with Obamacare was the requirement that forced people to have coverage for health situations they would never face. In other words, older people were paying for maternity and others were paying for mental health care. The coverage caused their premiums to rise and become unaffordable. The new plan gives states the ability to apply for waivers that would allow them to opt out of the many regulations that were put into effect by Obamacare. This does open the door to causing a problem for people with pre-existing conditions who are looking for insurance in the marketplace. The new plan does protect people with pre-existing conditions, but the waivers may impact just how much protection they get in terms of cost. A pool will be set up to help counteract increased costs, but the current amount may have to be larger than originally proposed.

It its time for Democrats and Republicans to do a little soul searching. It may be hard to do for some who don't possess a soul, but nevertheless, compromise is the path forward. This new bill has to go to the Senate. The Senate may offer a bill of their own or they may work with this one. If it gets out of the Senate, it goes back to the House. The path to repeal and reform is long and hard. It does not have to be made harder by virtue of the many personalities and biases in Congress. The Democrats are behaving like spoiled children. The lies about the plan are spreading. There is no justification for any of this. We need health care reform in this country. We can get it done, but it will require intelligence, compromise and the realization among the American people that nothing is completely free. Will the bill give everyone what they want? It's not likely, but if it insures Americans in an affordable and reasonable way, it will have done its job. Surely, this is not too much to ask for. This bill is the first step forward in a journey that is badly needed. The last seven years of Obamacare have shown us what can happen when false promises are made, and terrible ideas are put into play. This is our chance to get health care on the right track. It is now or never. It had better be now.

Harlotte's Song

Oh, what a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to deceive

Sir Walter Scott...