Democratic Congressman Blows Up At GOP During Obamacare Hearing: ‘Are You Really Serious?’

[ProSense]

Democratic Congressman Blows Up At GOP During Obamacare Hearing: ‘Are You Really Serious?’

By Igor Volsky

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) slammed Republicans for failing to support the Affordable Care Act once it became law, challenging them to go back to their districts and tell their constituents that they’ll be taking away their coverage.

“What are you going to do about the approximately 17 million children with preexisting conditions who can no longer be denied health insurance coverage,” Parscrell asked the GOP during a House hearing on Obamacare. Standing up and pointing his finger at the other side of the aisle, he continued, “We want to go back and want to say you are no longer covered any longer — are you going to tell the parents of those kids?”

Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR) tried to answer that question, highlighting GOP proposals to cover individuals with pre-existing condition. The reply sparked even greater outrage from Parscrell:

GRIFFIN: You asked a question and I’m going to answer it. It’s a false choice to say it’s Obamacare or nothing. There are numerous proposals including one that I’m a co-sponsor of…

PASCRELL: Are you serious what you just said? Are you really serious? After what we’ve gone through and what we’ve gone through in the last three and a half years? Have you — you can sit there and say, that you had a legitimate alternative after these years? We’ve gone through 44 votes, 48 votes now, of you trying to dismantle the legislation. You call that cooperation? I don’t!

Watch it:

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/29/2853991/democratic-congressman-blows-gop-obamacare-hearing/

Asshole Repubilcans now trying to look like they care.

[n2doc]

1. Hand them this toon

[ProSense]

2. Nailed it. n/t

[annabanana]

3. oh kick kick kick . .He's saying what everyone is thinking. . . .n/t

[blm]

18. Some Dems have finally reached their BS limit with these fascist traitors.

.

[Mass]

4. Who decides what bills are put on the floor? I thought it was the GOP?

Certainly you can write bills, but if you never bring them to a vote, what use is it?

[Chief D]

5. Outstanding!

That was wonderful!

[SoapBox]

6. Love it!

[dreamerBoy]

7. Powerful stuff ...

I was watching that idiot Krauthammer on with Jon Stewart the other day. Jon was very gracious as he had to be but part of me was wishing he would have started channeling Representative Pascrell during that conversation.

[Bigmack]

43. Jon has turned his show into about 15 min....

.. for me some nights.

Krauthammer, O'Reilly....

I don't subject myself to people like that.

[closeupready]

52. +1. No point - liars and obfuscationists don't help find truth;

they help HIDE it.

[lillypaddle]

8. These people

are unfuckingbelievable.

[gopiscrap]

9. Good for him!

[rocktivity]

10. THE DEM-PIRE STRIKES BACK!!!! (TM) (C)

Last edited Tue Oct 29, 2013, 03:58 PM - Edit history (1)

And a fellow New Jersey-ite to boot? CUE THE VONAGE THEME!


rocktivity

[SaveAmerica]

30. I like it!!

[passiveporcupine]

11. K&R

I love to see this kind of passion from the Dems.

[LittleGirl]

12. Tell it like it is!

disgusting that he has to even go there! My gawd, he had a spine!

[Scurrilous]

13. Big K & R

[Iliyah]

14. K & R

But, after Obamacare become a success, the gopers will claim it was them who did it. Then after 20 or so years, the tp(s) or some other eff-up fringe will come back with misspelled signs telling the government to keep their hands off of ACA.

[billhicks76]

24. irony

They gotta be the biggest a-holes on the planet and how they took a republican idea and used it to ratchet up a fury among their base is beyond me. I see only two answers to that. 1) racism (sorry repubs but the truth hurts whether or not you yourself as an individual are racist because too many of your buddies are) and 2) we shouldve had single payer because it's human nature to want to oppose a required mandate. Just my opinion.

[cheapdate]

15. The GOP's supposed "replacement" for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is an absurd joke.

The "Republican Study Group" (a group of the congressional conservative caucus) hypes their hollow, fake bill on its website with predictably empty language, like "patient-centered reforms rooted in free markets".

The proposals are the same inconsequential ideas they've put forward before when pressed for answers; provide increased tax advantages to people who use health savings accounts, dramatically limit the rights of patients to sue for damages in cases of medical negligence or incompetence, eliminate restrictions on selling health insurance across state lines (the ACA already allows this), etc.

At best, these proposals do practically nothing to impact the serious problems that our broken health care system poses to individuals and to the nation as a whole. At worst, it exacerbates some of the current system's worst features. For instance, the fractured nature of the US health care system is one of its greatest weaknesses and one of the major drivers of our high cost. The GOP "solution" makes this bad situation worse.

But perhaps the cruelest part of this GOP joke is how it supposedly answers what is arguably the Affordable Care Act's most popular feature -- which is to end the practice of allowing insurance providers to deny coverage for pre-existing health conditions. Roughly 10 million people in the US are classified as "uninsurable". Those of us who aren't are only one mishap away from finding ourselves on the outside looking in. People everywhere overwhelmingly agree that this practice is intolerable.

The GOP brags how their plan solves this problem. From the website:

"Safeguards individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against purchasing health insurance by bolstering state-based high risk pools and extending HIPAA guaranteed availability protections."

But, look at their actual proposed legislation (H.R. 3121), and here's what you'll find:

<<Subtitle B—Ensuring Coverage for Individuals With Preexisting Conditions and Multiple Health Care Needs Through High Risk Pools

SEC. 311. IMPROVEMENT OF HIGH RISK POOLS.
Section 2745 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–45) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The Secretary shall provide from the funds appropriated under subsection (d)(3)(A) a grant of up to $5,000,000 to each State that has not created a qualified high risk pool as of September 1, 2013, for the State’s costs of creation and initial operation of such a pool.’’;
(2) in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b), by striking ‘‘and (2)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2)(A),(3)(B), and (4)’’ each place it appears;
(3) in subsection (b)(3), by inserting ‘‘with respect to funds made available for fiscal years before fiscal year 2014,’’after ‘‘applicable standard risks,’’;
(4) by adding at the end of subsection (b) the following new paragraph;>>

The rest of the section is a page and a half of language to make sure that no funds are used for non-US citizens. That's it. That's the entire extent of their "Safeguards" for "individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against".

This is not a serious plan. It's a joke. They want people to believe that they have a serious solution to address the 45 million Americans who are uninsured, the10 million people who are "uninsurable", the fractured health care system that makes our health care system by far the most expensive in the world, and most importantly, the unquestionably unsustainable long term fiscal outlook for our health care system if these problems are not addressed.

http://rsc.scalise.house.gov/solutions/rsc-betterway.htm

http://rsc.scalise.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bill_american_health_care_reform_act.pdf

[freshwest]

45. +1,000

[SunSeeker]

59. Their "plan" consists of $5M to each state?! That will cover ONE brain tumor treatment!!!

I knew that GOP asshole was being a dishonest piece of shit when his was waiving that paper around claiming he sponsored an alternative plan. Thanks for laying out the facts. Except now I am even more pissed off.

[mountain grammy]

16. K&R

[mainstreetonce]

17. Wow a D in NJ

A man with a spine who makes sense. I'd like to know where in NJ he is from.

[The Wizard]

21. Bill Pascrell was born in Paterson

and still lives there.

[angrychair]

19. gOP crap

The main point of having coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and lowering costs is the mandate. Without the mandate and large pool of both low-risk and high-risk users, you will never reduce the cost of health care.

[stillcool]

20. how many hearings have there been?

48 votes suggests quite a few. Makes me wonder what these people do all day...besides having hearings about ACA and Benghazi.

[polichick]

22. A great moment! k&r

[No Vested Interest]

23. It needed to be said. Thank you, Mr. Pascrell. nt

[Buns_of_Fire]

25. It looked for a second or two like Pascrell was going to walk over

and pummel Griffin vigorously about the head and shoulders. Damned shame that such things are generally frowned upon in the Hallowed Halls of Congress.

But this was the next best thing.

[SaveAmerica]

29. It had the flavor of London instead of DC...

[giftedgirl77]

26. K & R

Dems have been snapping left & right at these fools. Hopefully they will keep it up.

[Gothmog]

27. Tim Griffin is a weasel

I really enjoyed this exchange

[SaveAmerica]

28. Dayum!! That was awesome! I was waiting for him to say "Hold me back!"

[spanone]

31. God bless him. i wouldn't have had 1/100th the restraint he had...

lying mother humpers

[Historic NY]

32. Healthcare it makes a spine grow........

I think most people have had enough of the bullshit the GOP'ers are shoveling.

[dvhughes]

33. Spent many days in Paterson....

visiting my Grandparents on Thanksgiving and many of my older relatives lived and died there.

Being such a long way from home now, I truly appreciate this clip. Both for the message and delivery.
Felt like home.

Let's hope the Dems continue to embarrass these clowns.

[WinstonSmith4740]

34. I moved away from South Jersey 43 years ago.

This is the first time I wished I still lived there. This guy has the steel in his spine that's been missing for so long among Democrats...I hope whatever he has is contagious. At least to fellow Democrats.

[whathehell]

48. I also grew up in and left the same area, and I share your feelings -- This guy makes me proud!

and I say, forget Texas, don't mess with Jersey! -- Texas is NO match for a tough east coaster!

[sheshe2]

35. Thank you Bill Pascrell!

That was awesome!

Keep cramming their lies and posturing in their ugly faces.

[cantbeserious]

36. Calling The Snakes Out

eom

[ailsagirl]

37. KICK!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for posting. A sane (read Dem) congressman.

[Owl]

38. Thank you Bill Pascrell!

[IronLionZion]

39. So looking like they care is popular now?

They realized after all their pointless obstruction and shutdown that blatantly not giving a shit isn't working out for them?

If they cared even a little bit, they would put forth amendments to improve the law and honestly inform their constituents of their options available to make the best of it.

They are screwing their own constituents. Throughout this country, poor liberals are going to be so much better off in health and in finances than poor conservatives thanks to these dumbasses. Eventually poor conservatives may notice. And then they'll really be pissed.

[jmowreader]

40. I looked up the bill Tim Griffin cosponsored

You guessed it: the thing "allows Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines, just like auto insurance." Aside from that, it's all tax.

I realize Tim Griffin hasn't ever bought auto insurance, so please note: you can't buy auto insurance across state lines. Say I'm John Smith, I'm 27 years old, I own a Ford Mustang that's been in six fender-benders that were my fault, and I live in Sacramento. I do not care whether I buy my insurance from a company two blocks down the street, two counties over or two states over, I am going to get charged the "27-year-old in Sacramento who owns a sports car and can't stop hitting other people's cars" rate.

[RagAss]

41. Love it !!...He put Griffin's ass in the Deli slicer !

[obama2terms]

42. Wow

When Rep. Pascrell said that to that idiot the look on the repug's face reminded me of the look a small child gives you when they caught doing something wrong. And when he knew he was wrong, he tried to shut him up, I would laugh at this if wasn't over something so serious...

[Uncle Joe]

44. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, ProSense.

[cui bono]

46. It's about fucking time!

Honestly, this should have been going on since day one of the lies and smears. They should be talked to like the childish brats that they are.

[ffr]

47. Who amongst us wouldn't be as vocal?

It's like the idiotic discussions I have with many Republis. Don't let them think for one second they are on offense. We're on office. Republis should be hanging their heads in shame!! Have you witnessed the past 13 years? ENOUGH!

NO MORE REPUBLIS.

[Paladin]

49. Rep. Pascrell is my new hero.

Lots of other Congressional Democrats need to be showing that sort of truth-telling outrage.

[Plucketeer]

50. KILL BILL!

Stick it in and twist it. That's really the only thing "they" understand. We need voices that ain't afraid to speak up - that ain't afraid to rub the asshole's noses in THEIR OWN FRESH & STEAMY PILE OF CRAP.

[closeupready]

51. I saw this last night, and was astounded! Big K&R

[alcibiades_mystery]

53. Italian American New Jersey Dems are kicking ass lately

Nuf of this bullshit.

Bill Pascrell and Frank Pallone, trow dese fuckin' jamokes a beatin'!

[Paladin]

54. "You don't win the new Civil War by being civil."

That's the Rude Pundit's complement to Rep. Pascrell. That statement ought to be carved in granite and placed in a prominent location in D.C.

[nirvana555]

55. I'm calling his office to personally give a thank you...

My God, more and more Dems. MUST start doing this. If we call and email and let them know we're behind them, maybe they will...

[Paladin]

56. Great idea. Thanks. (nt)

[nirvana555]

57. I just called and told the young man who answered the phone I appreciated what the

Congressman Did.

[Snake Plissken]

58. Rep Tim Griffin: We have an alternative, its a healthcare plan we've developed known as 'death'

'

[BillyRibs]

60. DON'T Screw with

Jersey Boy, They will call out your bullshit with nary a pause.