Ezra Klein: Is the Republican health plan designed to fail?

[babylonsister]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/10/14872916/republican-health-plan-designed-to-fail-ahca

Is the Republican health plan designed to fail?
There’s a theory going around Washington that Republicans don’t want their health bill to pass.
Updated by Ezra Klein@ezraklein Mar 10, 2017, 1:10pm EST


There is a line worth noting in David Brooks’s column today: “The Republican plan will fuel cynicism. It’s being pushed through in an elitist, anti-democratic, middle of the night rush. It seems purposely designed to fail.”

Quietly, the idea that the House bill is designed to fail is percolating around Washington. I’ve heard it from a half-dozen people now. The law’s construction is shoddy. The outreach has been nonexistent. The hypocritical, hyper-accelerated process is baffling. Nothing about it makes sense.

But if you flip the intention — if you assume Republican leaders want to see a repeal-and-replace bill die in the Senate so they can say they tried and move on to tax reform — all of a sudden, it makes much more sense. It explains why more time wasn’t spent getting the bill right. It explains why they’re going so fast. It explains why they don’t care what the Congressional Budget Office says. It explains why they aren’t doing the outreach that would normally buffer them from this backlash.

Why would they want their own bill to fail? Well, consider the predicament they’re in. Republicans have spent seven years promising to repeal and replace Obamacare. They won election after election atop that vow. But now that they have the power to make good, they’ve run into three problems.

First, Obamacare has become popular. Second, they don’t have an alternative plan that would make good on their promise to provide more people with more generous health care at lower cost. Third, implementing a repeal-and-replace plan — with all the complexity and disruption that entails — will drown the rest of the GOP’s agenda, and perhaps its congressional majority.

Arguably, the best outcome for Republicans is to try to replace Obamacare and fail. And if you believe that’s what they’re doing, much else falls into place.

more...

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/10/14872916/republican-health-plan-designed-to-fail-ahca

[Zoonart]

1. This is their only play.

Let their bill die in the senate. Tell their constituents that they voted to kill Obama care. The ACA will be in a death spiral that was set not motion by the re-thugs when they insisted that they would replace it. Less people sign up because they believe it will be gone soon. Insurance providers drop out because they believe the same. Final step....blame Democrats. Rinse...Repeat!

[global1]

2. So If The Repug Bill Is Designed To Fail And The ACA Will Fail.....

what's the plan after that? What's left?

[babylonsister]

5. The ACA hasn't failed for millions; they're just saying that

because Obama is/was attached to it. But they surely have nothing better.

Maybe tweaking ACA is the answer so people, not corps., benefit.

[global1]

6. Tweaking ACA Is The Solution.....

don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Why don't the Dems put out a statement saying as such and indicating what tweaks they would make to ACA.

Then they should have the CBO score it against Republicare/Trumpcare. Let's see which one gets more support then.


I would like a question answered however. The Repugs pulled some fast ones over the last few years that weakened ACA. Is there somewhere I can see a listing of things that the Repugs did to cause this weakening. I heard someone on a cable news show elude to this.

[babylonsister]

7. Maybe this...

https://thinkprogress.org/blow-by-blow-a-comprehensive-timeline-of-the-gops-4-year-battle-to-kill-obamacare-5dd069a5518a#.ag5koanmh

[rock]

3. I don't believe it's designed to fail

But it will.

[vlyons]

4. cynical cynical cynical

Obamacare only fails because the ReThugs refuse to properly fund the risk corridors and medicaid.

[babylonsister]

8. Yes. nt