Kabuki and the Departure from Truth
After watching the cynical self-congratulatory beer bust in the WH rose garden on Thursday, I found myself not just angry or disappointed; I was enraged. The arrogant, taunting, narcissistic, boasting Cheeto-skinned parasite currently infesting Our House, along with virtually every gerrymandered-in weirdo and screwball in DC made me want to throw my shoe through the screen.
That rage came alive on Friday morning when, on Facebook, one of my conservative friends expressed frustration with Republicans voting to strip him of his healthcare because of his pre-existing condition. Immediately, one of his more conservative friends responded about how wonderful the new bill was and that it would “help many”. Enough was enough; I launched on him, pointing out that the bill was rushed through the House without representatives reading it, it wasn’t scored by the CBO, and that early readings by the media were pointing out its legion of flaws, including re-introducing lifetime and annual caps, restoring exclusion of pre-existing conditions, slashing of Medicaid, slashing healthcare for special needs kids, etc., etc. His defense? Lying. Not just spinning, outright lying.
He argued that they caps are not part of the bill when they are. He argued that health savings accounts would cover the shortfalls (which is laughable; when’s the last time you saw someone pay a $300,000 chemotherapy bill with an HSA?); he argued that this bill was an actual effort to improve healthcare when, in fact, it was just a disguised tax cut. When challenged, he said, “Well, the bill’s not finished.” Not finished? They already voted for it in the House! They went to the WH and celebrated!
In fact, this last statement was the only thing that he had said that was true…it wasn’t finished. It still must go to the Senate where it most certainly won’t survive, at least in its current form. The defense of this bill is built on lies. It has to, because math is math. You cut a trillion dollars out of healthcare, and millions will suffer, and no lie justifying it can change that. You place caps on coverage, people will die. You exclude pre-existing conditions, people will die. It’s like gravity; those truths are just there.
So, what was this all about? That’s easy – it’s Kabuki. It’s a glittery show for the base voters of this crowd in DC who waste a lot of oxygen trying to meet there demands of erasing President Obama’s name from history regardless of damage to millions of Americans. I believe that Trump and conservatives in the House realize that the chance of actually repealing the ACA is slim, therefore the shameful display in the rose garden. With any luck, this will be the only celebration they hold cheering on the deaths of millions of Americans.
The GOP’s latest “Health Care plan would allow states to opt out of Obamacare’s provision prohibiting higher premiums for pre-existing conditions. Translated: insurers can charge higher premiums for the sick & price them out of the market.
If you thought the initial Trumpcare estimate which would have seen 24M people losing Health Care coverage was bad, this new version will make that look like a picnic. Before I go any further let me point out that 27% of adults have a pre-existing condition that would have denied them coverage before the ACA (Obamacare).
The GOP plan as currently written may revert to pre-ACA restrictions, I say may because this is what’s on the table.
Under the new GOP plan, estimated hikes in premiums for ppl with:
Asthma: $4,000
Autism: $5,000
Diabetes: $5,500
Pregnancy: $17,000
Arthritis: $26,000
Cancer: $140,000
Let me be more specific, Health Care costs will explode under this plan, rendering insurance unaffordable for millions of Americans. Think I’m kidding? Here’s how much more in premiums the Center For American Progress calculated people with pre-existing conditions would pay minus ACA/Obamacare’s protections. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/news/2017/04/20/430858/latest-aca-repeal-plan-explode-premiums-people-pre-existing-conditions/
Republicans want to create an “invisible risk pool.” That’s their fancy way of making people vanish who have a pre-existing condition. I say vanish because health insurance will be unaffordable for all but the wealthiest Americans with pre-existing conditions.
Remember, 27% of adults have a pre-existing condition that would have denied them coverage before the ACA/Obamacare – as it stands now, these people will be effected. Look at the chart, that’s over 52 million people. Full disclosure, I’m one of those people.
Those without pre-existing conditions won’t be getting off easier either, the average enrollee would still see their total costs rise by more than $3,000 by 2020.
As my friend Susan said, “Remember those death panels?”
1That could be their plan – let the bill die in the senate, blame Democrats for obstruction. If enough mid-term voters get their news from the right-wing safe zone, it could work.
More and more, elections are won or lost on emotion. We need to keep reminding voters that the RepubliCON party is the party of rich psychopaths who hate truth, scoff at justice, and despise the American Way.
2Maybe it was a clever trick? We all know republicans couldn’t find their way out of a circle drawn in sand. What if they are taking the approach that most fits their mentality? Like a 2nd grader that didn’t want to read the book for a report. He writes a bad paper and shows his parents. They don’t want him to fail (as a bad reflection on them) so they write a better paper for him. Still on a second grade level, but at least on that level.
3The house is hoping the senate can fix their stupidity. It won’t happen, but I think that is what they are hoping.
I’d say I was giving my two cents, but I will be holding on to those in case I get ill, as I will need every penny to pay for my funeral.
GOP men, AKA bad hombres, celebrating half the job done with LIGHT BEER brewed by a foreign owned brewery?
4The GOP signed a death warrant for millions of innocent, sick, suffering citizens. I hope this nasty, destructive, dumpster fire of smugness and inhumanity is extinguished in the senate. The insurance companies may collapse (and it couldn’t happen sooner, imo), because no one will be able to afford health ins (if they can even get coverage). That should make their stock holders happy…
5The soon to be murders in the Rose Garden won’t laugh long. Especially when people have ashes of those murdered by Ryan et al begin showing up on their desks. With news coverage, of course. Joe Kennedy 111, D-Mass, skewered the rethugs in several speeches. He sounded so much like his Uncles I almost cried. Mass is blessed to have him and Sen Elizabeth Warren.
6The text and comments are spot on. H Greeley made mention of “narrow minded block heads”. That is a perfect fit for the Republican.
7I don’t understand why the name “Trumpcare” has taken hold, as if it were parallel to “Obamacare.”
It ought to be called “TrumpCareLess.”
–V.
8Is “erectile disfunction” considered a “pre-existing condition” and if it isn’t, why isn’t it?
9Just wait until the emergency rooms at hospitals across the country start overflowing! Thats when the AMA will jump oon Trump and his posse with spurs on. then the back tracking will begin int he White House and it will all be thrown back to the Hill. But when that happens there has to be a Democratic House – at least – and a Democratic Senate. Their bill should be escorted to the White House for signing by a squadron of AMA members, people with pre-existing conditions, etc. just to make sure the bill is signed into law, with plenty of media in attendance. Better yet, a Democratic president in the White House following the resignation/impeachment – whatever comes first – of Putin’s BFF.
10Yeah…What Maggies says.
11Kind of like Kabuki, except instead of an introduction announced with Yooo Ho! we get a plan presented by a bunch of yahoos.
12Fred, Viagra is covered, contraceptives are not.
13I was both flabbered and gasted when I got an email from my completely loathsome representative, Jason Loser Lewis, bragging about how he’d made good on his promise to take care of the people in his district. Oh he certainly “took care” of us. A well-regarded columnist in the Minneapolis paper blasted his ass all across the state.
I replied to Loser’s email:
“I’m almost speechless that you should crow about such a travesty as this bill. I saw you in the photo of the beer party with the president and I’m so embarrassed. How can you not be ashamed? Have you no heart, no compassion, no kindness?! You’re not stupid; you know people will literally and truly die without health care and you know the talking points you so faithfully recited in this letter are lies.
This massive redistribution of wealth from the poorest to the wealthiest is so appalling, so shameful . . . And you exempted yourselves!
Although I did not vote for you I committed to giving you a chance and treating you respectfully. You’ve just entirely blown your chance and quickly. I am now committing all my resources and energy to ensuring that your Congressional career is limited to two years. I don’t care how much money pours into your pockets from Big Pharma, Oil, the Waltons, Kochs, etc., I intend to see to it that you’re done.
Shame, shame, shame on you.”
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