Trumpcare Back From Dead Again: Cassidy-Graham Cruelest Version Yet, Has 49 Votes

[Felya]

Good lord that list. Trump goes out of his way to make people hate him. I wonder if I roll my eyes enough reading his comments, will I end up having broken ones like Sara Huckabee-Sanders?

His support calls him lord of kek for a reason...

[Breccia]

So it's the equivalent of rushing a science project assignment while on the bus to school.

More to the point, it's the GOP waiting until the bus is around the corner, then starting, hoping to use "I was short on time" as an excuse when the CBO grades them.

You might even be tempted to say Trump was pushing them to move faster, but no. He was tweeting that they should move faster. He made no actual effort into the bill at all. Trump, tweeting that the GOP wasn't doing Trump's job fast enough for him, continues to widen the gap.

[Alakallanar]

I meant I thought there was some provision that said after the 30th (or other date) these kind of bills need 60 votes to pass. I could be thinking of something else (and I should know - my Poly Sci prof is rolling over in his grave atm).

you're right. Its called reconciliation. I don't understand the specifics of it, but basically it allows them to pass a "revenue" neutral bill with only a simple majority. It would only be "revenue neutral" until the CBO can process it, which is why this last ditch effort wouldn't even be scored by the CBO before a vote, and it already has 49 Republican senators signed on to it. That really is telling as to how they are trying to do this. They're crooks that are trying to swindle the American people.

:edit:
CBO= Congressional Budget Office. btw

Sept 30th is the deadline for reconciliation for the fiscal year 2017. They can try again for the fiscal year 2018. But they wanted to use that for a tax reform bill. And they can't do both via reconciliation in 2018. So now they have to decide whether they want to try healtcare or tax reform before the midterms. The only way to do both would be if they'd combine it in one enormous bill, an idea brought up by Orrin Hatch. But that is quit optimistic of him. I mean McCains reasoning would still apply. In fact it would apply even more to such a bill. So they would already start with two definitive no votes (McCain and Collins).

[Poopymonster]

Good lord that list. Trump goes out of his way to make people hate him. I wonder if I roll my eyes enough reading his comments, will I end up having broken ones like Sara Huckabee-Sanders?

I think it's going to look a ton of Indian immigrants hit this country soon. I mean, the number of heads hitting desks is going to leave some red dots on peoples foreheads to say the least.

[This was a joke, I do know the significance of Bindi]

[paralleluniverse]

It seems Cassidy-Graham isn't dead yet. Collins and Murkowski aren't definite nos, they're trying to flip Paul, and the GOP are continuing to work hard on ramming this through with tweaks to drop later this weekend.

Also AHIP, AMA, AHA, FAH, BCBS, and others, basically the entire American healthcare system, have released joint letter attacking Cassidy-Graham and it's undermining of protections for pre-existing conditions.

Basically, no one who knows a damn thing about healthcare wants this death bill to pass, yet the GOP are hellbent on it to satisfy their donors.

- - - Updated - - -

LOL. And just as I write that Collins says: "It is very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill".

https://twitter.com/CNNSotu/status/911939421792071682

[Alakallanar]

There is no way Collins is voting yes. Their only chance is to flip Murkowski and Paul. Apparently they are trying to get Murkowski with a lot of extra money for Alaska.

[Smitzelplix]

There is no way Collins is voting yes. Their only chance is to flip Murkowski and Paul. Apparently they are trying to get Murkowski with a lot of extra money for Alaska.

This article gives some reasons why Murkowski might not vote for the bill and this article calls into question the legalitiy of this "Alaska Purchase". So hopefully Murkowski doesn't cave in and remains a no vote like she did last time.

[solinari6]

So I wonder if Trump's NFL tweets this morning is just a lame attempt at distraction, so they can sneak this healthcare bill through without as many people noticing?

Seems like that's all over the news today, and the healthcare thing has been pushed aside

[Breccia]

So I wonder if Trump's NFL tweets this morning is just a lame attempt at distraction

Maybe, but from what? His failure in North Korea, his failure in Iran, the tax plan being drafted behind closed doors but is loaded with tax cuts to rich corporations...

..or Ted Cruz voting no?

Cruz: ObamaCare repeal bill doesn't have my support yet

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Sunday that he isn't yet ready to support the latest GOP effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare, increasing uncertainty that Republicans will be able to pass the legislation.

"Right now they don't have my vote and I don't think they have [Sen.] Mike Lee's (R-Utah) either," Cruz said at the Texas Tribune Festival.

"Now, I want to be a yes," he added, indicating a willingness to be won over.

He said that he and Lee sat down with GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) to pitch changes to their legislation, which replaces ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion and healthcare insurance subsidies with federal block grants.

"We said if you take these edits we're a yes. They took our edits and then a day later they removed our edits," Cruz added.

Both Cruz and Lee have sounded optimistic about the Cassidy-Graham legislation, but held off from offering their support and noted they are pushing for additional changes.

[Zeth Hawkins]

Medical based discrimination is something we should seek to eliminate from society, not expand upon. Unless you're OK with genetic tests determining the premium I should be paying? That type of thing is just plain wrong. If you want to do it to a teenager with a bad driving record, or a business owner with a bad financial score, fine. But increasing my premiums because I was diagnosed with ALS is just plain wrong.

Why do you find your two examples acceptable, yet take offense to health care being treated similarly? Higher risk should impact the cost.

[JohnBrown1917]

Why do you find your two examples acceptable, yet take offense to health care being treated similarly? Higher risk should impact the cost.

Which the poor cannot afford.. or not even the middle class in some cases.

[Alakallanar]

"We said if you take these edits we're a yes. They took our edits and then a day later they removed our edits," Cruz added.

That sounds like the changes demanded by Cruz and Lee would have cost moderate votes. So they quickly dropped them again.

[LaserSharkDFB]

That sounds like the changes demanded by Cruz and Lee would have cost moderate votes. So they quickly dropped them again.

Sounds about right. Cruz was definitely in the 'not evil enough' camp last time around.

[Breccia]

Sounds about right. Cruz was definitely in the 'not evil enough' camp last time around.

If Cruz and Collins are both "no" votes, which they both seem to be saying, I don't see any revision that will bet both on board. If I'm right, that's 49 tops.

[Cthulhu 2020]

So this was brought up earlier in this thread but without the heat map...



So is anyone else noticing a pattern? That the people who most want to get rid of Obamacare, and who never want single payer, are probably the people most likely to need health care in the next 5 years?

And while I wish no harm on anyone, especially not political opponents, I wouldn't lose sleep if some Trump voters were recipients of some Darwin Awards.

[Triggered Fridgekin]

So is anyone else noticing a pattern? That the people who most want to get rid of Obamacare, and who never want single payer, are probably the people most likely to need health care in the next 5 years?

Doesn't matter if it negatively affects them. They can't let the other team win.

[LaserSharkDFB]

Doesn't matter if it negatively affects them. They can't let the other team win.

Their spite will sustain them.

[Mormolyce]

Cruz is now explicitly out against it.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...-repeal-243067

Unless one of the holdouts flips this week, that's that for this year.

Doesn't matter if it negatively affects them. They can't let the other team win.

I can hear the sounds of catapults being loaded with severed noses.

[Kujako]

Unless one of the holdouts flips this week, that's that for this year.

Don't be silly. Now Trump will just follow through on his threats to not pay the insurance companies what they're promised from the exchanges, thus driving up prices and killing people so he can shout "See! Told you it would fail!"

[Nadiru]

Why does health insurance work differently than most (every?) other kind(s) of insurance? If you get car insurance, the insurance plan pays out to you for the repairs. Same thing for home and fire insurances. What gives?