Robert Reich: The 3 Big Reasons Republicans Cant Replace Obamacare

[Jimbo101]

http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/robert-reich-3-big-reasons-republicans-cant-replace-obamacare

First, Republicans say they want the replacement to be “market-based.” But Obamacare is already market based – relying on private, for profit health insurers.

Second, every part of Obamacare depends on every other part. Trump says he’d like to continue to bar insurers from denying coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions.

Which gets us to the third big reason Republicans can’t come up with a replacement. Revoking the tax increases in Obamacare – a key part of the repeal – would make it impossible to finance these subsidies.

The two biggest of these taxes – a 3.8-percentage-point surtax on dividends, interest and other unearned income; and a 0.9-percentage-point increase in the payroll tax that helps fund Medicare – are also the most progressive. They apply only to people earning more than $200,000 per year.

Immediately repealing these taxes, as the GOP says it intends to do, will put an average of $33,000 in the hands of the richest 1 percent this year alone, and a whopping $197,000 into the hands of the top 0.1 percent, according to the Tax Policy Center.

It would also increase the taxes of families earning between $10,000 and $75,000 – including just about all of Trump’s working class voters.

[myohmy2]

1. we shouldn't...

...help or cooperate with the pukes at all...

...let the pukes do what they want and let's hammer them every inch of the way...they own the healthcare issue now, let's see how they fuck it up...

[PoliticAverse]

2. "would make it impossible to finance these subsidies." - no it wouldn't....

they could just deficit finance them.

[Girard442]

3. If the R's end Obamacare, a whole lot of people will be driven into poverty and/or die.

This would stop them how?

[Thinkingabout]

4. They have had six years to come with a replacement, they did not.

They have had six years to make improvements, they did not. Yes there needs to be some improvements, surely there should be enough smart people in Congress to make ACA better if they could get the blinders off and work enough days this year.