An Honest Look at the GOP Health Plan: today

[McMadden]

The CBO did a preliminary estimate of the Republican amendment to the House health care bill. There are now hard numbers to compare between the Democratic and Republican notions for health care.

Coverage:
Democrats – 36 million more covered by 2019, 96% of US covered
Republicans – 3 million more covered by 2019, 83% of US covered

That’s pathetic. Because the population is expected to grow over time, under the Republican health care plan there would be 2 million MORE Americans uninsured in 2019 than there are today, according to the CBO (50 million today, 52 million in 2019). But let’s look at cost:

Democrats – $104 billion in deficit reduction by 2019
Republicans – $68 billion in deficit reduction by 2019

The “fiscal conservatives” reduce the deficit LESS than the Democrats in the budget window, under their plan. And in the large-group market, where 80% of Americans get their private insurance, there would be a 0-3% reduction in the cost of their premiums; in other words, almost nothing (although that’s a preliminary figure that CBO doesn’t stand behind very aggressively).

Ezra Klein notes:

The Democratic bill, in other words, covers 12 times as many people and saves $36 billion more than the Republican plan. And amazingly, the Democratic bill has already been through three committees and a merger process. It’s already been shown to interest groups and advocacy organizations and industry stakeholders. It’s already made its compromises with reality. It’s already been through the legislative sausage grinder. And yet it saves more money and covers more people than the blank-slate alternative proposed by John Boehner and the House Republicans. The Democrats, constrained by reality, produced a far better plan than Boehner, who was constrained solely by his political imagination and legislative skill

Watch the Republicans now argue that the CBO estimates don’t matter and that they aren’t comprehensive in their analysis. After eight months of hyping every draft the CBO sent out on the Democratic plan.

John Cohn notes that the GOP plan actually shifts the burden of payment from the healthy to the sick:

Many individuals and families would experience changes in premiums that differed from the changes in average premiums in their insurance market. As explained below, some provisions of the legislation would tend to decrease the premiums paid by all insurance enrollees, while other provisions would tend to increase the premiums paid by less healthy enrollees or would tend to increase the premiums paid by enrollees in some states relative to enrollees in other states. As a result, some individuals and families within each market would see reductions in premiums that would be larger or smaller than the estimated average reductions, and some people would see increases.

GOP Health Care Plan: Even worst than what you are hearing!

[QUOTE]
So, yes, the Republican health care bill will lower premiums overall. But many people in poor health will see their premiums go up. And many people will get lower premiums only because they’re getting inferior coverage. Meanwhile, more than 50 million people will have no insurance whatsoever.[/QUOTE]

Remember, if you get sick, the Congressional Republicans want you to die, and that you die quickly!

[MonoxideChild]

I don't understand this plan at all. None of this sounds like a good idea. So theyv'e supposedly been working on this for how many months and this is it? So basically the GOP's arguement is, "Obama wants socialized medicine, but we want a much ****tiah plan." Maybe this was just their counterplan and they have no intention of really pushing this?

[theanalogkid]

Projected reductions in the deficit is just that, a projection. The US was projected to have no deficit in 2010 when there was a budget surplus in 99-00. That was based on if things never changed, well they did.

I bet if government got out of the health care industry our premiums would go down by a lot, and the deficit would drastically drop too. Of course no one wants to try that approach, because they love the nanny state taking care of them.

[MonoxideChild]

Projected reductions in the deficit is just that, a projection. The US was projected to have no deficit in 2010 when there was a budget surplus in 99-00. That was based on if things never changed, well they did.

I bet if government got out of the health care industry our premiums would go down by a lot, and the deficit would drastically drop too.

You're right about the projections Analog. But it's still apples to apples because they're using the same projections for both bills. The GOP bill is inherently crappier than the dem bill regardless of what shape the country is in.

[theanalogkid]

You're right about the projections Analog. But it's still apples to apples because they're using the same projections for both bills. The GOP bill is inherently crappier than the dem bill regardless of what shape the country is in.

Well the point I'm making is regardless in either case, I very much doubt the projected reduction will be realized.

[resnor]

So basically, they're both crap? Let's just abandon this crappy notion altogether.

[sideoutshu]

This post is a total fail. The fact that you believe there are actually 36 million "Americans" who want health insurance and can't afford cause Pelosi told you so is hilarious.

Also hilarious....the guy who complains about Foxnews cutting and pasting from The New Republic.

[Nevada_Ballin]

I don't understand this plan at all. None of this sounds like a good idea. So theyv'e supposedly been working on this for how many months and this is it? So basically the GOP's arguement is, "Obama wants socialized medicine, but we want a much ****tiah plan." Maybe this was just their counterplan and they have no intention of really pushing this?

The cornerstones of this health care plan go back to the Pres Clinton days and further, it's not something they just came up with a few months ago. Ted Kennedy also had a lot to do with the framework over the years.


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