|
nChrist
|
 |
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2017, 07:32:13 PM » |
|
________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 4-5-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
“The real reason why people want ObamaCare repealed,” House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows explained, “is because their premiums went up. They could care less about the policy. If the policy had been in and the premiums went down, they’d say, ‘Let’s keep ObamaCare.’”
Eliminating ObamaCare’s essential health benefits requirements — a list of 10 services the know-it-alls in DC decided all health plans must include — would go a long way to reducing premiums. States would be allowed to opt out of mandating that insurers cover certain ailments and services in all policies and could again empower insurers to charge different rates based on the covered person’s gender or overall health.
As for the community rating, critics of its removal claim32 it would be “bad news for those with pre-existing conditions.” But supporters counter33 that one reason particular funding mechanisms in the AHCA were being made available to states was to encourage them to set up their own high-risk pools, which were in place in 35 states34 prior to the adoption of the Affordable Care Act. This would answer the charge of being cruel to people with pre-existing conditions as they could take their complaints up with the several states.
Speaking of the states, Vice President Mike Pence offered a compromise in which states can apply for waivers from ObamaCare’s costly regulations. The conservative Club for Growth, which was instrumental in scuttling the original bill and singled out for blame by Donald Trump, says it’s now ready to get behind35 Pence’s compromise.
While President Trump was originally inclined to pivot over to tax reform36 when the AHCA was pulled, over the last few days he’s warmed back up to the idea of redefining federal involvement in health care. “We were very close,” said Trump37, but a tight margin and no Democrat support meant he was doing what he thought was politically best all along. “Let ObamaCare explode,” he argued, “and it is exploding right now.”
But is the resurrection of this bill coming at a time that’s politically best?
Because Congress is approaching its Easter break, there are only a handful of legislative days this month. Moreover, the federal budget will take center stage at month’s end as yet another government shutdown looms — the most recent deal to keep Uncle Sam humming along expires on April 28. So while the new compromise measure won’t have to start the process all over38 — because it was pulled before it got a negative vote on the House floor — there are still a number of hurdles for it to overcome. Getting a vote by week’s end is possible, but may be another case of trying to pass the bill before we know what’s in it.
There are a lot more questions than answers33 when it comes to intent and adoption. Some may be answered as the text of the amendments leaks out and gets analyzed by all sides of the political spectrum of commentators, but it’s not likely that the new and improved AHCA gets any Democrat votes.
In terms of limiting government, though, the battle for conservatives and federalists may be lost. The Left has succeeded in advancing their ball to where the argument had gone from a straight repeal (bills introduced in this Congress from early on39 to just last week40 to do just that have gone nowhere fast) to a situation where only certain portions of ObamaCare will go away. With the AHCA, the most politically popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act will remain and the federal government will give billions to the states to maintain some sort of government health insurance program. And once states grow addicted to this new strain of federal government crack money, it’s unlikely anyone in Congress will make a move to shut off that flow of cash even after it sunsets in a decade’s time.
In a sense, it doesn’t matter what the new AHCA bill actually says. We still can’t find that enumerated power of providing or subsidizing health insurance in our copies of the Constitution. That said, we’re in a distinct minority on that, and Republicans had better work together to keep their promises the best they can.
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST
Anatomy of a Smear Piece41 — Washington Post: exposed for blatantly biased reporting on Christian charity.
Caution Needed on Tax Reform42 — Beware of the value-added tax and carbon tax ideas being considered.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Scott Powell & Steve Baldwin: It’s the Democrats Who Collude With the Russians43
Hans von Spakovsky & Elizabeth Slattery: Ordinary Americans Get What’s at Stake in Fight Over Neil Gorsuch44
John Stossel: Enough Protection Already45
For more, visit Right Opinion46.
OPINION IN BRIEF
John Stossel: “Some of what regulators do now resembles the work of sadists who like crushing people. … The [EPA] was necessary in 1970, when it was created. At the time, cities dumped whatever we flushed into nearby waterways — with no treatment. Smokestacks filled the air with actual pollutants: soot, sulfur dioxide, etc. In New York City, we didn’t dare leave windows open because filth would blow in. The EPA required sewage treatment, scrubbers in smokestacks and catalytic converters in car exhaust systems. The regulations worked. America’s air and water is cleaner than it’s been for decades. I can even swim in the Hudson River, right next to millions of people — who are still flushing. Now, in a rational world, the EPA would say, ‘Stick a fork in it, it’s done! EPA now stands for ”Enough Protection Already.“’ But bureaucracies never say they’re done. ‘Done’ means bureaucrats are out of work. Can’t have that. So politicians keep adding unnecessary new rules and keep harassing people.”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “If Americans wish to preserve a country they will recognize, then the first step is to recognize the enemy. Public education is the enemy. The entertainment industry is the enemy. The corporate culture is the enemy. The advertising industry is the enemy. And most of the politicians in both parties are the enemy. An enemy is defined as anybody, or any organization, which is attacking the traditional beliefs of Americans.” —Charley Reese (1937-2013)
Protesting much: “The notion, which some people are trying to suggest, that by asking for the identity of the American person is the same is leaking it — that’s completely false. There is no equivalence between so-called unmasking and leaking. … I leaked nothing to nobody.” —Susan Rice, denying any wrongdoing in “unmasking2” individuals in intelligence reports
Friendly fire: “Not to be a jerk here, but will the real Susan Rice please stand up?” —CNN’s John King
Belly laugh of the week: “The answer, again, isn’t to change the rules, it’s to change the nominee. And we Democrats are not going to oppose every Republican [SCOTUS] nominee.” —Chuck Schumer
For the record: “What does the Left’s newfound enthusiasm for the Bible tell us? It tells us that the Left doesn’t actually believe in the Bible — the Left believes in government. Every time the Left cites the Bible, it does so as an excuse to let government take from some and redistribute to others, or compel work from some on behalf of others.” —Ben Shapiro
A blind squirrel finds a nut: “Some people think that the people who voted for Trump are racists and sexists and homophobes — just deplorable folks. I don’t agree.” —Bernie Sanders
And last… “The people who were skipping around Alaska with a selfie stick while Syrian kids were washing up on beaches will now lecture us on horrors.” —Stephen Miller
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. |
