Is This Really Trump’s First and Last Offer on Health Care?
Ever been to a used car lot and been told that their great discount price would end the second you stepped off the lot? Especially by a salesman who only works one day a week? Supersalesman Trump has hit the Republican House with that cheap trick this week to get them to vote this Thursday for the two week old AHCA health care plan. This plan was only vetted one week ago, by the CBO, as being fatal to 24 million American’s healthcare plans.
At a rally last week, Trump said that the plan would be great, when passed, with slight modifications. The modifications are not spelled out.
So are we to believe that after Trump led several rallies a day for his two year campaign and presidency with the main theme of killing Obamacare, and replacing it with the greatest and cheapest plan, that he would throw a tantrum and take home his checkers board if he doesn’t win his first game? Especially since he is more sensitive about his reputation than anybody we have ever seen in public?
After seven years of opposing Obamacare, and six years of canceling it, do we really think that Republicans will abandon their efforts after only two weeks of shopping for a new car but so far only being shown one? After telling their voters for years that their Obamacar would break down soon?
Republican House members signed on for two years of work, of which they have only done two and a half months, and only two weeks reading a less than 100 page AHCA plan. If they quit now on their main pledge, maybe we should stop paying them for the rest of their term.
Unfortunately, the Freedom Caucus of 30 Reps, opposes the AHCA because they want important provisions cut, including essential coverage. But cutting essential coverage may be seen by the Senate parliamentarian as altering the cost of the bill and not fitting in under Reconciliation. That means that Democrats in the Senate could then filibuster the bill.
Trump promised us a hugely better healthcare law, and maybe he thinks this is the best that he can get. So much for the “Art of the Deal”. But Trump has the Freedom Caucus over a barrel too. They have to come home with a new healthcare law, or their devotees will be very disappointed. How many of them actually know what the details are, anyhow? The problem with the extreme rush to pass the modified bill today is that there is no CBO coverage estimate or cost estimate of the hastily modified bill.
