The Republican Party Is Exposing Its Own Policy-Making Screw-Ups

[DonViejo]

But the concessions it’s making aren’t quite what you’d think.

MATT LEWIS
05.02.18 5:04 AM ET

Two major Republican figures have now undercut tax reform—the party’s signature legislative achievement of the Trump era.

But the truth former health and human services secretary Tom Price and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) exposed in their respective criticisms is not what many Democrats would like voters to think. The problem, they suggest, is not with the merits of the bill, but with the failure of the Republican Party to level with the public about the tradeoffs involved in getting there.

Let’s start with Price. Not long ago, he was advocating getting rid of the individual mandate. But now that it’s gone—via the overhaul of the tax reform bill—he is warning about the potential for rising health care costs.

“There are many, and I am one of them, who believes that that actually will harm the pool in the exchange market because you’ll likely have individuals who are younger and healthier not participating in that market,” Price said in a speech on Tuesday. “And, consequently, that drives up the cost for other folks in that market.”

This is not exactly a blaring-siren moment. It was always feared that removing the mandate for healthy young people to purchase insurance while keeping the provision requiring insurance companies to cover sick people would lead to “adverse selection.”

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-republican-party-is-exposing-its-own-policy-making-screw-ups?ref=home

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Idiots all. The repugs are truly repulsive...

[DetlefK]

2. The GOP has had this self-delusion since 2008.

When they lost to Obama, they wrote a report to take a good hard look at themselves. And then they ditched that reported into the trashcan because the analysis contradicted their stance that conservative policies are flawless and that if only they could better communicate them, the voters would see how great they are.

It's not the policies! The policies are great! It's the fault of the voters for not understanding how great those policies are!