# The Repeal of Obamacare/ACA: Step-bystep, Inch-by-inch **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 2, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146 "2017-01-02T17:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/241 "2017-01-07T23:38:15Z")
It was part of his campaign. The conservatives hated it and passed it anyway. Possibly because, like in 2008, both major party candidates had a plan to expand coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/242 "2017-01-07T23:54:14Z")
Republicans nominated Bush. Republicans enacted his agenda. I know they’d like to distance themselves from the results of those policies by saying “it was all Bush’s fault, and he’s gone now”, but those of use who can look up the record don’t have to believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/243 "2017-01-08T00:25:07Z")
OK then. The Republicans expanded Medicare, Democrats had nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/244 "2017-01-08T00:29:22Z")
Pointing out that countries with UHC have better outcome for this or that metric is missing the point of the disagreement. A lot of American political arguments are like this, like when liberals point out that abstinence education leads to more pregnancies and STDs compared to sex education, as if their opponents were managerial liberals like them confused about the most effective policy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/245 "2017-01-08T00:55:34Z")
> [@Tee](#): > > OK then. The Republicans expanded Medicare, Democrats had nothing to do with it. And made no attempt to pay for it, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/246 "2017-01-08T00:58:43Z")
At this point, the Republicans have two plans, either of which could be used: 1. Repeal the ACA. Then take the ACA, change two periods and a comma,(and maybe put something in that guarantees more profit for health insurance corporations) and re-name it the “Republican Best Trumpcare Act”, and fly that through the house. If anyone points out that it is essentially the same act, scream at them “FAKE NEWS!”. Get support from Fox News, and the usual suspects with Authoritative Talking Heads who assure the public that this is Much, MUCH better than that terrible Obamacare. 2. Repeal the ACA. Chaos ensues. People lose coverage. Put together a comprehensive plan to manage the optics. Blame Obama. Blame Hillary. Blame other Democrats. If anyone points out that the damage was caused by the repeal itself, scream at them, FAKE NEWS! Get the usual outlets to blame, blame, blame the Democrats in the face of every bit of evidence, until that becomes reality. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/247 "2017-01-08T01:12:08Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > And made no attempt to pay for it, yes. That’s funny. I have seen a lot of Medicare-for-everybody ideas lately, but not a lot of planning how to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/248 "2017-01-08T01:27:58Z")
> [@Tee](#): > > That’s funny. I have seen a lot of Medicare-for-everybody ideas lately, but not a lot of planning how to pay for it. Yeah, but at least some people are admitting that it will have to be paid for, somehow. It’s another to pass massive new spending with no thought on how to pay for it, and blame the other side for mounting deficits. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/249 "2017-01-08T15:34:05Z")
> [@Tee](#): > > That’s funny. I have seen a lot of Medicare-for-everybody ideas lately, but not a lot of planning how to pay for it. There are many options, starting with raising or eliminating the cap on payroll deductions, transferring some (or all?) of the burden to unearned income, and progressivizing the rate structure. Specific numbers have to be left to the actuaries, of course. It can be done, and easily, once the fuck-ems’ resistance to the basic idea is finally broken - _that’s_ the barrier, not the funding mechanism. Oh, and Part D? How about letting Medicare buy drugs with competitive pricing? The Republicans let that bill pass only by giving Big Pharma a big present. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/250 "2017-01-08T18:56:40Z")
Here’s the _L.A. Times_ on how Obamacare has succeeded, and how the GOP has nothing (yet, if ever) to offer as an alternative: [Column: Republicans call Obamacare a 'failure.' These 7 charts show they couldn't be more wrong](http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-obamacare-charts-20170104-story,amp.html) ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/251 "2017-01-08T19:11:51Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Your stupidity doesn’t need to be assumed, it’s on full display. Apparently all you want is an insurance plan that will pay for stitches, because you’re too cheap to pay for actual health insurance. > > It’s easy to be brave and macho on an Internet board and claim you “don’t need or want health care”. The real question is what happens when you’re suddenly seriously ill and need lengthy and expensive medical treatment, maybe cancer treatment, maybe heart surgery. What would happen then? Maybe you’d do what all the other idiots do in the same situation: go running to the ER, claim poverty, and demand the best possible treatment at the expense of the hospital and the taxpayer. You wouldn’t get it, but you’d waste a lot of taxpayer dollars and medical resources in the process of getting something half-assed before they threw your sorry ass out the door. Not only does that fail to help you in any meaningful way, it’s also the kind of idiocy that makes the health care system more costly for everyone. Picking the lose-lose option is a pretty good definition of “stupidity”. Now whose stupidity is on display You assume i would let you do heart surgery on me, or half kill me to try to cure cancer and what? make me sick as hell to die anyways when i could have made better use of the functional time i had left to begin with? If you go doing any of that stuff to me of your own volition, you are in violation of my advanced directive and have now created a legal mess that is going to cost someone money. Are you are giving examples of what you would do. That’s fine, but speak for your self. I already stated exactly what i meant, in plain and simple english, but you choose to insert ideas between the lines that aren’t there. What the hell is with all the assuming here? I say red, you assume i include blue yellow and green too, no i said red and only red i meant red and nothing else, is that an impossible concept to grasp? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/252 "2017-01-08T19:33:28Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Here’s the _L.A. Times_ on how Obamacare has succeeded, and how the GOP has nothing (yet, if ever) to offer as an alternative: [Column: Republicans call Obamacare a 'failure.' These 7 charts show they couldn't be more wrong](http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-obamacare-charts-20170104-story,amp.html) You realize he is a columnist, not a reporter, right? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/253 "2017-01-08T19:54:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > There are many options, starting with raising or eliminating the cap on payroll deductions, transferring some (or all?) of the burden to unearned income, and progressivizing the rate structure. Specific numbers have to be left to the actuaries, of course. It can be done, and easily, once the fuck-ems’ resistance to the basic idea is finally broken - _that’s_ the barrier, not the funding mechanism. > > Oh, and Part D? How about letting Medicare buy drugs with competitive pricing? The Republicans let that bill pass only by giving Big Pharma a big present. But your suggestions would involve the rich paying more. Not enough more to hurt–but they’re Important Donors. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/254 "2017-01-08T21:04:09Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Now whose stupidity is on display > You assume i would let you do heart surgery on me, or half kill me to try to cure cancer and what? make me sick as hell to die anyways when i could have made better use of the functional time i had left to begin with? > If you go doing any of that stuff to me of your own volition, you are in violation of my advanced directive and have now created a legal mess that is going to cost someone money. > > Are you are giving examples of what you would do. > That’s fine, but speak for your self. > I already stated exactly what i meant, in plain and simple english, but you choose to insert ideas between the lines that aren’t there. > What the hell is with all the assuming here? I say red, you assume i include blue yellow and green too, no i said red and only red i meant red and nothing else, is that an impossible concept to grasp? So no palliative care? Does your advanced directive say “nothing more than stitches”? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/255 "2017-01-08T21:26:58Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Now whose stupidity is on display > You assume i would let you do heart surgery on me, or half kill me to try to cure cancer and what? make me sick as hell to die anyways when i could have made better use of the functional time i had left to begin with? > If you go doing any of that stuff to me of your own volition, you are in violation of my advanced directive and have now created a legal mess that is going to cost someone money. Your ignorance of medicine is obvious but that doesn’t make your idiotic beliefs correct. Not all surgeries are major; not all medical interventions are catastrophic and life-threatening. Just for one example, many lifesaving procedures that used to involve major surgery are increasingly being done with minimally invasive techniques involving precision robotics and advanced imaging and sensing technologies. Not for you, though. High-tech ORs with that kind of equipment cost millions of dollars. You’re only covered for stitches. > [@Weisshund](#): > > Now whose stupidity is on display Yours. Again. As usual. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/256 "2017-01-08T22:13:54Z")
But are mud and leeches covered as well as stitches? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/257 "2017-01-08T23:15:34Z")
And the maggots. > **[Maggot therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy)** > > Maggot therapy (also known as larval therapy) is a type of biotherapy involving the introduction of live, disinfected maggots (fly larvae) into non-healing skin and soft-tissue wounds of a human or other animal for the purpose of cleaning out the necrotic (dead) tissue within a wound (debridement), and disinfection. > There is evidence that maggot therapy may help with wound healing. > Maggot therapy improves healing in chronic ulcers. In diabetic foot ulcers there is tentative evidence of benefit.... ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/258 "2017-01-08T23:21:19Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But are mud and leeches covered as well as stitches? Leeching is making its way back into modern medicine. [http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/modern-leeching/](http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/modern-leeching/) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/259 "2017-01-08T23:47:12Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Leeching is making its way back into modern medicine. > > [Science NetLinks](http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/modern-leeching/) Bring back poultices and bloodletting and we’ll have an affordable healthcare system. If it was good enough for the authors of the constitution it should help make America Great Again! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/260 "2017-01-09T00:09:24Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > And the maggots. > > [Maggot therapy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy) Drop down and give me venae, you maggots! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146.md?page=14)