I think that’s the real crux of the matter. The ACA has pushed the window. Republicans are ideologically opposed to the mechanisms behind the ACA or any federal sponsorship of health care coverage, but the public diverges strongly. So they end up talking out of both sides of their mouths.
Yeah, of course logic is always a silly thing to use. [Sarcasm]. In my case it was thanks to the general doctor I was seeing thanks to Obamacare that I was advised to go to the emergency room and then to get expert treatment.
Without the first step I would assign the sickness I had as food poisoning or stomach flu. And with all likelihood, I would not be typing this today to you.
And whose fault would that have been? People should take responsibility to earn a medical degree so that they can properly diagnose themselves.
One of the architects of Obamacare was on NPR this morning and described the Republican plan as “Obamacare Zero Point Five”.
Vox: “The GOP health bill is a $600 billion tax cut — almost entirely for the wealthy.”
There’s the real driver of this legislation. The stuff about health care is there to keep people’s eyes off that.
Republicans supporting this cluster fuck, including those objecting because it doesn’t go far enough with respect to eliminating the ACA, have neither conscience nor decency.
Pretty much. It seems every Republican bill must have as one component a massive tax cut for the wealthy.
There are three GOP templates:
Noun, verb, 911.
Noun, verb, BENGHAZI!
Noun, verb, tax cuts for the wealthy.
Occasionally, they get a little ambitious and try to combine them, but then they end up with Trumpian word salad, word salad, the best, the best word salad in the world for the American, the American people love me, they love me, okay?
Can’t forget: noun, verb, deregulation.
One more: Noun, verb, privatize!
Someday, there won’t be any taxes left to cut. What will they do then?
Indeed. And, it is all throughout the medical system. I remember when I lived in Vancouver talking to a doctor who I knew and he explained how in his practice of at least a few doctors they had one office person who spent part of her time on billing issues. He said that corresponding practices of this size in the U.S. would have at least a few people whose fulltime job would be doing that.
Refundable tax credits, of course!
This bill is terrible. It’s time to just give it up and concentrate on fixing ACA. And what the hell is with Republicans attacking the CBO? The CBO isn’t always right, but they are always fair and honest, which can’t be said for estimates by partisan sources.
Wow!
:: dies ::
:: raises from dead to applaud Adaher ::
:: dies again ::
Seconded. 
Sad, isn’t it? And stupid. America could save ~$1 Trillion by implementing UHC.
If you’re referring to single payer, that’s not happening either. The general outline of ACA is our health care system now and will be for the next 100 years. All that’s left to be debated are the details.
100 years is a long time. Imagine trying to predict today from the vantage point of March 9, 1917.
Hell, right now, I’m not sure of my ability to prognosticate the next six months. Will the Republicans ultimately pass something ACA-related that involves more than wonkish tweaks? Hell if I know, and so I don’t know whether it’ll undermine the ACA or the individual insurance market if it happens. Similarly, while I assume that if no new ACA-related laws are passed, Trump and Tom Price will do their damnedest to prove Obamacare is a failure by undermining it as much as possible through regulatory means, I don’t know the extent to which it will succeed. Prediction is hard, especially about the future.
My WAG is that when the Dems are back in control of Congress, they’ll start lowering the Medicare eligibility age, to 60 fairly quickly, then gradually to 55. And over the course of the next few decades, the age will be successively lowered until it’s just Medicare, cradle to grave.