Republicans have opened a door, a window, they will totally regret.

[Stuart G]

They think they will do away with the Affordable Care Act, (Obamacare), but what has been started is a discussion on if it is working. Millions have insurance that wouldn't have ever been able to afford it. As the discussion goes in to the depths of the law, and the real reasons to repeal/ change it, what will come out, in my opinion is one brutal fact the Republicans will totally regret...

...The Affordable Care Act has reduced medical costs, and because of more insurance to more people, has saved countless lives. Not only is the law effective in giving care, but it is cost positive in that it saves the country and millions of people countless dollars and grief.............

Therefore, the upcoming discussion will prove what liars the Republicans are for saying the ACA doesn't work and is a "disaster"....The lies that they have spewed out, will be proven to be lies.....ACA will not be changed, but millions will view the Republicans differently. Instead of a "more affordable" health program, it will become absolutely clear, that what the Republicans want is a program that will benefit them and insurance companies and no one else. ..yes......no one else.

And the discussion will be very ugly.. But the real truth will come out about Republicans and their war against the ACA...Obamacare... That the real reason that they were against all along was because Obama proposed it and helped to enact it. Not necessarily because of the contents. If it were called .."Bush Care" or "Romney Care"...yes the exact same law....the selfish Republicans would be saying what a great law it is ...

[Initech]

1. The republicans suck on every single issue.

[blue sky at night]

43. you are correct sir.....

I have been saying this for years, there is not one single issue that they are on the right side of...where do these people come from anyway???

[lame54]

2. as long as they get their way...

they won't regret it

[Stuart G]

4. I do not think they will get their way.

Something may get through the House, but I do not think that something will get through the Senate.

[lame54]

5. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028764495

[Amimnoch]

11. You're probably right.

I honestly think though, if you had just a few major liberal figures endorsing it, and especially if President Obama, or Hillary Clinton was to get press coverage as calling it a reasonable, or good move for Trump.. that would be the death of that bill.

The ONE thing his base will never tolerate is him doing something.. anything.. that the left, and especially our leadership approves of.

[lame54]

15. Reverse Psychoticry

[Amimnoch]

18. Exactly.

If I was President Obama, or Hillary, the first thing I'd do is have a press conference, or interview with a famously liberal newscaster that the con's hate.. someone like Maddow, for example.

I'd say something along the lines of their "repeal and replace" as being much less severe than I'd anticipated, and actually has some good liberal and progressive points to it.

Goodbye bill goodbye.

[thbobby]

44. Getting voter's brains to work

You are probably correct. BUT THINK BIG! Lots of the GOP BASE benefit from Obamacare, Medicaid, Medicare. Getting them to realize how evil the "GOP is" has always been the problem. Remember the "Keep your Government hands off my medicare" Tea Party Poster? This futile Paul Ryan attempts to provide tax breaks to rich while screwing the poor/working class might be the crowbar that is needed for then to see what they are voting for.

[Cosmocat]

14. Its tenuous

They only have 54 senators.

They know they can't get 60 votes, so they did all of this under budgetary motions so it only needs a straight up or down win (50 with Pence breaking the tie).

NOW, they won't go against it because if it is bad policy for the country or even their constituents.

But, there is an outside hope that there might be 5 or more senators who either are so deranged ideologically that they won't accept anything short of a clean repeal, or a version that does not have some of the "tricks' this one has to help fund it OR that they do see how horrible it is and feel that they might be held accountable for it on election day.

I suspect they can get past this in House, they have enough of a margin there, but we can HOPE that they might not squeeze it though the senate.

[padfun]

28. Which two Dem Senators are going for this?

Because the Pugs have a 52-58 majority, so they would need two Dems to have 54.

[Cosmocat]

30. I am sorry

I thought it was 52, did a quick google to double check, thought I looked at something post election, but it was from right before it.

They had 54, you are right they are 52.

That is better, but no sure bet ...

[Amimnoch]

10. Worse than that, it's not even about getting their own way anymore.

The only thing they really care about is that we don't get our way. If it hurts them, they don't even care about that any longer.

As long as it hurts or pisses liberals off he'll be able to do no wrong in their eyes.

There is ONLY one thing that would get his brownshirts to turn on him.. Them thinking that we love and support him, or at the very least no longer hate him.

This whole Rump thing isn't about them putting in someone they actually think will "make America great again". Not a damn thing to do with it. The more the media pointed out his flaws, the more us "snowflakes" spoke out against him, the more they supported him.

It has absolutely nothing to do with #45, it's all about revenge on the left for having "forced Obama" onto them for 8 years, and now it's time for revenge.

I see evidence of this every single day on social media, and in the comments sections of news articles. Almost nobody defends anything #45 does, it's always "well Obama did", or "well Hillary did", or "suck it up snowflake", or "go crawl back to your safe place"..

The ONLY real appeal Trump has to them is that his actions piss us off. They don't stop for one fucking second to realize that the same shit we're pissed off about screws them over as well. That doesn't matter, as long as it pisses us "pansy liberals" off.

[Cosmocat]

16. YEP

you get it ...

This country's soul is THAT dark now.

[LiberalLovinLug]

33. Yup, well said

Cutting off their noses to spite libtards.

Its all about winning and losing. Us vs. Them. And more than that though, its about getting an opportunity to laugh and ridicule and mock our anxiety. Because they went through so much anxiety themselves of course, with the threat of Obama taking all their guns and instituting Sharia Law.

[SHRED]

3. Let's support California's effort

Because how Cali goes, so goes the nation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/104016190

[panader0]

6. Here's a good article: (about ACA saving money)

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obamacare-contributes-dramatic-health-care-savings

[Stuart G]

9. Thank You for the link, and the proof of what we all know.."...dramatic health care savings"

It will be important in the discussion that is about to start...And I believe the Republicans will lose the discussion and be shown to be the total liars and selfish assholes that they are.

[jmg257]

7. They control the congress and the executive...ACA will be changed. With all their promises,

They HAVE to do something.

You are right that everyone is talking about the issue, so all the good and the bad of the various plans will come out.

But does it matter? They HAVE to do something.

[wiggs]

8. ACA is a disaster because they say it is. Media is not asking the fundamental question of whether

or not that's true. Or what the original goals of the ACA are...increasing access, lowering costs of insurance, reducing the incredibly high proportion of bankruptcies due to medical costs, providing a basic floor for quality of coverage. Sure...you can come up with other plans that don't address those goals, but let's repeat the original goals and make them tell us if they've abandoned them.

And...why are no journalists pointing out that the gophealth approach does not exist out there in the developed world?

Healthcare may be complicated, but explaining the difference between dem approaches and gop approaches should be easy!

[Stuart G]

17. I believe you are correct...and with many life saving examples...

the proof will be clear and undeniable..(even the pukes will deny the truth)....so many examples will be shown, not only in terms of saving lives and helping prevent illness, but in saving money for people and for the government itself. When hospitals point out that the ACA works and helps them and their patients, it will be the "Republican Liars" responsibility to prove the hospitals wrong.....................

and the "Republican Liars" will not be able to prove that the hospitals are lying......not now, not next month, not never

[Eyeball_Kid]

12. The ACA, even with its benefits, is fatally flawed as it stands.

The ACA would look very different, and much more stable, right now, if the Public Option were included in the final bill. The Public Option would have provided a gradual migration of subscribers from private insurance coverage to the P.O. as the inevitability of decreased profits caused more providers to either drop out or raise their rates to very unattractive levels.

So, now, we're watching the GOP handling an issue without any notion of the concept of governance. They have no idea how to proceed, so they fall back on their favorite meme: privatization. Their idea is that the best governance is NO governance. That's the goal of their plan.

What the GOP is risking is a popular relabeling of their plan as the GOP Death Plan-- because the plan will feature a substantial increase in premature deaths, disabilities, and unattended illnesses.

[vlyons]

13. the ACA "death spiral"

I keep hearing republicans talking about the Obamacare "death spiral" as a big reason why it needs to be replaced with "something better." But what they don't say is how they themselves INTENTIONALLY created the death spiral by grossly underfunding gthe insurance risk corridor.

Here on DU, Gary S described below how Republicans crippled the ACA.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028702908

[notdarkyet]

37. I just said the same thing. It's being murdered.

[peggysue2]

19. The very people . . .

who voted for the Trumpster will end up slammed by this healthcare proposal. Miners? Where are those 'black lung' funds going to go? For the working class for whom diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, opiod addiction, etc. are on the rise--how far will $4000 get you. Beyond a early grave, that is. Are we really returning to the day when a woman with breast cancer goes to the ER, is given pain pills and wished 'good luck?'

The Republicans will pay for this when millions lose their coverage, family members get sick and sicker and the GOP only has ideology as a response: Freedom, Free Markets, Competition.

This is the same old song--I've got mine, I feel fine and the hell with you.

Politics of cruelty and greed. Nothing more.

[Stuart G]

20. I do not think this bullsh*t will ever pass..both houses.

It may get through the House of Representatives..but I honestly do not think it will get thru the Senate in any form..I have been wrong often, and could be wrong here, but I do not think this will get through the Senate.

[davsand]

24. I've been saying that same thing.

I think the House will ram something through that is incredibly offensive to both the conservatives and the Trumpers, then it will die a brutal death in the Senate while they all posture and preen. Republicans will point fingers at each other and at Dems once it is all over.

In the meantime insurance coverage rates will erode and premiums will jump. Either way, we are all gonna get screwed with this unless the Dems manage to stay on a unified message. My own personal preference is Medicare for all, but they will defend "Obamacare" instead. Right now we have an amazing opportunity to educate the public about a single payer system and why it benefits everyone. People are afraid, and they are paying attention. IF the message is unrelenting, it just might resonate. Sadly, it will probably be blown.


Laura

[Cosmocat]

32. Senate is the hope

they have enough of a margin in the house they can possibly get something through.

But, at 52 in the senate, as long as the Ds hold fort, all it takes is three flaking off.

I think those that object are two fold.

1) The ones are are absolutely batshit insane, 100 percent buy in with the "conservative" agenda and will not agree to ANYTHING.
2) Those who can see how big of a disaster this thing is. They won't object because it will be bad policy, but possibly might object if they think that they might be held accountable for it. Better chance here with senators.

[Bengus81]

21. Girl friend of mine is almost despondent over this....

Has three years to go until Medicare (if that even exists in 2020) has eye and health problems which caused her to quit working and retire almost a year ago. She was able to get a good and AFFORDABLE policy through the ACA Marketplace that took all the fear away. Because of DEMOCRATS tireless work for decades she was able to get disability through SS and Health INSURANCE. Now Republicans can't WAIT to take it away.

She has had doctor visits but no big claims yet. Now a year later she's getting worse and what the NEO CONS propose and call a "health plan" of course is ridiculous for people who have a disability or for that matter just retired without a FAT pension which very few have anyway.

Fuckers like Rand Paul and his group should have to walk a mile in others shoes to see we all don't get all the TAX PAYER funded breaks they get 24/7. We wake up each day worrying about what could happen the next day.

FUCK YOU RAND,hope you drop DEAD sooner than later......

[Turbineguy]

22. Obamacare's greatest shortcoming is

that it saves lives. The Republicans want an American version of the Holocaust.

[Stuart G]

23. The AMA,.. American Medical Association.. is out today against Ryan repeal bill

Yesterday was the AARP and the hospitals, today is the doctors..


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ama-oppose-obamacare-repeal-bill_us_58c010c2e4b0d1078ca2a977?

[WinkyDink]

31. Spicey-Spice pooh-poohed this fact today.

[Skittles]

25. if it makes a few repukes stop goose-stepping

it may start a trend

[AgadorSparticus]

26. I agree. It will expose them for what they truly are.

This won't be good for them.

[putitinD]

27. Single payer would cover everybody at half the cost!

[LiberalLovinLug]

36. Democrats need to pound out the advantages from a Conservative point of view

You pointed out the cost advantage. Also how it benefits business when bidding for international contracts. They don't have to include health insurance costs because it is taken care of already. Some larger companies may have added benefits on top, but the majority basic care is taken care of with single payer.

Freedom...to change jobs, careers, doctors, location. Never the stress of hospital bills.

[putitinD]

38. Detroit has lost tens of thousands of auto jobs to Ontario canada, just across the bridge from

Detroit, because they don't have to provide healthcare because every Canadian citizen has it. at a savings of about $2000.00 per car.

[WinkyDink]

29. Republicans do not care about saving lives. They care about acquiring money.

[lancelyons]

34. The republicans keep talking about huge deductibles.. but that is not necessarily the case.

I know many people that have 500 deductibles on a bcbs plan and after their subsidy (tax credit) they pay 100-120 per month.

To say that everybody has a high deductible is BS.

The plans that where in place before ACA where plans that hardly did anything... They allowed you to go to Emergency room only and with 10000 deductible.

I wish the media where more like experts that could counter those bogus claims.

[notdarkyet]

35. They are creating the disaster because they are letting the insurance

Companies know they can increase premiums, especially for the elderly and disabled, they can move across state lines, meaning they can move to states with less regulation, it gets rid of mandates. They are bailing out of aca to help ruin it so they can make more. The whole purpose is "health"care not more profits. This is why our health system ranks low and expensive next to other developed countries. It's about money here,not health.

[putitinD]

39. don't the Koch's own a big chunk of the medical industry?

[The Sand Reckoner]

40. They have backed themselves into a corner

After all of their bluster about repealing/reforming the ACA, they are now in a position of having to:

A. Follow through with their promise to remove or gut the ACA and put something else or nothing in its place. Enough of them realize (or have been told) that if they do this, they will basically crash the health care system in this country and cause the kind of disaster they claimed to be fixing (with no way to blame the Democrats)

Or

B. Renege on their promise, and be exposed even more as frauds and liars.

They are damned if they do and damned if they don't now. Exactly as they deserve to be.

[BadgerMom]

41. Make them own the demise of the ACA

Democrats have not defended the ACA. Yes, it is flawed. The reason that hasn't been remedied is Republican obstruction. The reason it's taken more body blows recently is Republican obstruction. There are fixes. Dems should hammer this. This can be repaired. It needn't be destroyed. We do a crappy job of messaging and standing up for ourselves. Yes, Fox is nonstop propaganda, but establish beachheads in other news organizations.

[red dog 1]

42. K&R

[many a good man]

45. Obamacare is a disaster

But it's still better than what we had before.

The current Republican plan makes health care even worse than what we had before.

[Stuart G]

46. I would say that Obamacare is ..not ..a disaster..

Why?...It is the best that could be done at the time..the key vote in the House of Representatives was 217 -214.. I recall watching that vote..Many lives have been saved, families saved because of Obamacare.. I recall that Obama had to compromise to even get that law through. It was a "start" not a disaster..