Republicans voice growing doubts on healthcare bill's fate

Indeed, the best healthcare plan ever.

DT just wants to repeal ACA. He doesn't care much about the rest.

Unhealthy hate...

Sen. Cruz is a great rhetorical speaker, and a consummate actor, with grand and "heartfelt" gestures. But he never speaks the simple truth. Instead of answering a question, he takes a long walk through a litany of false talking points, and considers that an answer. If he won't even use the term "Affordable Care Act," which is the name of the legislation, because he considers it "deceptive," then you can tell he's an empty suit who doesn't care about constituents.

I'd say it is time to repeal and replace the Republican party!!!

Indeed, the best healthcare plan ever.

DT just wants to repeal ACA. He doesn't care much about the rest.

Unhealthy hate...

Ok, let's keep it and let it implode and do nothing about which is what's going to happen anyway. Now that's hate.

I'd say it is time to repeal and replace the Republican party!!!

....and throw the Democrats in there as well.

Ok, let's keep it and let it implode and do nothing about which is what's going to happen anyway. Now that's hate.

Except its not imploding. Donny and GOP keep propping this up to scare people into repealing ACA so they can cut taxes for the megarich.

I'm sure you'll try and trot out how the number of insurance providers is shrinking, but bare in mind that less than 7% of the US population buys insurance through the private exchanges.

Bass4funk: then replaced with a plan that is broken by design for the majority of people.

Most Republicans would deny healthcare to the poor and sick in order to lower taxes on the wealthy. That is no surprise. The surprise is that handful with the compassion and backbone to do the right thing.

Like sharks, though, those like Cruz will be back.

Ok, let's keep it and let it implode and do nothing

Ignoring the fact that it's not imploding, pretty much everyone on the left is ok with working to improve the ACA. So your rhetoric is as usually, rhetoric.

@Laguna

Most Republicans would deny healthcare to the poor and sick in order to lower taxes on the wealthy.

Seriously, can you post these ridiculous slogans while keeping a straight face? Who do you want to impress by that, except the most fanatic CNN watching partisan zealots, who agree without anyway already?

Seriously, can you post these ridiculous slogans while keeping a straight face?

Ahh, another right-winger who hasn't bothered to look at what the actual Republican plan is, then freaks out when someone points it out.

Gee, WilliB, that's a good question! As usual, follow the money.

The Republican plan is to eliminate the taxes that support the ACA while leaving the rest of the ACA structure in place. This is because, under budget reconciliation rules, changes must be restricted to funding - and that's all they care about anyway: money.

The GOP approach to healthcare is like telling your child, "I'm not telling you that you can't go to college. I'm just saying that you'll have to pay every cent of your tuition yourself. But hey - that's freedom!"

It is very, very clear: Trumpcare is not a healthcare bill. It will vastly impact healthcare in a negative way, but that is simply collateral damage. Trumpcare is simply a tax cut.

Critics have derided the bill as a giveaway to wealthy Americans who would see some tax increases rolled back. Opponents also warn that the legislation would cause millions of poor and sick Americans to lose healthcare coverage.

As ever; the wealthy benefit and the poor suffer.

Isn't it fantastic?

Ignoring the fact that it's not imploding, pretty much everyone on the left is ok with working to improve the ACA. So your rhetoric is as usually, rhetoric.

That's hilarious! Even Obama knows it's flawed. But Dems will not compromise with Republicans on anything that would undo any part of the ACA in exchange for "improving" Obamacare. There will be no repeal, replace, or fix for Obamacare until one of the parties get's complete control of the government and is willing to lose big in the next election. At this point there are at least 10 Republicans in the Senate that care more about their careers than they do the future of their country.

I give credit to Dems for committing electoral suicide in order to get another part of the camel under the tent for socialized medicine in America. They are up to the hump now and it's all down hill from here. They did get Obamacare but in exchange they got a Republican majority in Congress and a Republican president (as well as one and possibly up to three more conservative Supreme Court justices). Republicans do not have the same commitment to their ideological principles. Americans love their socialism now - including apparently enough of the Republicans in the Senate to keep the dying patient that is Obamacare on life support for the foreseeable future.

Dems will not compromise with Republicans on anything that would undo any part of the ACA in exchange for "improving" Obamacare.

The entire republican bill was created behind closed doors, with no open sessions on it whatsoever. No request for, nor opportunity given for Democratic input whatsoever. So your entire premise is flawed here, as the Democrats have not been part of this new process even nominally. This is entirely on the Republicans.

There will be no repeal, replace, or fix for Obamacare until one of the parties get's complete control of the government and is willing to lose big in the next election.

One of the parties has complete control of the government. And they are realizing that the people like Obama care, so you're right, they're not willing to go against the people and lose in the next election - which is how the democratic process should work.

At this point there are at least 10 Republicans in the Senate that care more about their careers than they do the future of their country.

No, there are 10 republicans in the senate who care more about the will of the people, than they do about the Republican's flawed billed that is more for tax cuts for the rich than it is for the people of the country.

After awhile, anyone who has any compassion at all, will see the flaws of an administration who wants to sacrifice good for the majority of people over their own gain. In this case, it's obviously health care for many over a few getting richer, and I suspect more than few physicians out there who would prefer less restraints to set their own agendas to make more money. Good for the few Republicans who are against Trump non care.

I give credit to Dems for committing electoral suicide in order to get another part of the camel under the tent for socialized medicine in America. 

Yeah, that is pretty much what happened. See, Dems care about the citizens they serve and genuinely desire to deliver to them affordable healthcare. Repubs - not so much.

Ironically, while "Obamacare" as a package still polls poorly, each constituent part (except for the mandate) is immensely popular. Therein lies the GOP conundrum: They cannot repeal the unpopular "Obamacare" without eliminating its constituent parts. You'd think an elementary school student would understand this - that the GOP is expressing surprise shows either their immense stupidity or surprise that they were not able to pull a fast one over the masses.

Republicans control all 3 branches of government and have had 8 years to come up with a better plan. Their inability to compromise, even with each other, ties their hands on anything big.

The Democrats should see this as an opportunity and should present a fix to improve Obamacare. Take over the narrative and let the GOP bicker with each other from the sidelines. Unfortunately, they'll probably play it safe.

The Democrats should see this as an opportunity and should present a fix to improve Obamacare. Take over the narrative

That's a pretty good idea. Put together a proper bill, and present it to the people. The contrast between the Republican failure to repeal and replace with something valid would both make the Democrats look good, and the Republicans look bad all at once.

Repubs tried to dig up Obamacare horror stories in Indiana. This is what happened.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/republicans-obamacare-horror-stories-backfires-article-1.3303814

Americans love their socialism now

That's hilarious. Whatever it is they have in America; it's certainly not socialism. Even the brand of liberalism that is so mocked by the far right in the US is mocked in the UK by left leaning folk as being conservative.

@StrangerLand

The entire republican bill was created behind closed doors, with no open sessions on it whatsoever. No request for, nor opportunity given for Democratic input whatsoever. So your entire premise is flawed here, as the Democrats have not been part of this new process even nominally. This is entirely on the Republicans.

Congratulations - now you know how it feels to be left out just as the Dems left out Republicans in 2009. Remember how Obama was going to televise the committee hearings on CSPAN? Never happened. Remember how Obama was going to take the best ideas from Republicans and include them in Obamacare? Never happened. He got zero votes from Republicans because they were totally left out of the process. So why now be surprised when Republicans do not want to talk with the other side? You reap what you sow.

After awhile, anyone who has any compassion at all, will see the flaws of an administration who wants to sacrifice good for the majority of people over their own gain.

Yeah, that is pretty much what happened. See, Dems care about the citizens they serve and genuinely desire to deliver to them affordable healthcare. Repubs - not so much.

So herein lies the problem with American politics today. Anyone that doesn't agree with one sides point of view is evil and against the people. But there are always more than one legitimate way to look at things and no one is willing to acknowledge that anymore.

There are a number of conservatives that actually believe in the shortsighted Liberal view of health care. They think that health care is a Constitutional "right" that must be paid for by any means necessary. But of course health care is not a Constitutional "right" anymore than any of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are a "right." People need health care. They also need food, water, shelter, and a sense of belonging but government cannot provide these things for all people without them. People should certainly help one another and they do through charity and yes, through government. But there is a limit - and that limit has already been reached in the case of most Western countries - Japan included. Why? Because demands on government to provide for the ever increasing needs - as opposed to Constitutional rights) of it's citizens - are unsustainable. And when the system begins to breakdown the human misery is real and horrendous.

So go ahead and demand that the government provide for your needs today. And when the economy falters, the nation is awash in debt and interests payments become large budget line items, and "essential" programs such as social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and now Obamacare can no longer provide for what they have promised, do not be surprised by the immense social upheaval and misery that these failures create. The American Founders understood human nature and would be appalled by today's leaders failure to learn from what they taught them.

Congratulations - now you know how it feels to be left out just as the Dems left out Republicans in 2009.

Ahh, the good old republican bubble, where they just spout a bunch of lies and ignore the truth.

Republicans were a part of the process right from the start. For example:

For example, 788 amendments were submitted during the ACA’s markup in the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee (HELP). Three quarters of them were filed by the committee’s Republican members, according to John McDonough in his book Inside National Health Reform. Of those, 161 were adopted in whole or revised form.

There were multiple bipartisan committees on Obamacare, and while the democrats wanted a single-payer system, in the end that was dropped because of Republican demands.

And leaving out the Republicans?

In June and July 2009, with Democrats in charge, the Senate health committee spent nearly 60 hours over 13 days marking up the bill that became the Affordable Care Act. That September and October, the Senate Finance Committee worked on the legislation for eight days — its longest markup in two decades. It considered more than 130 amendments and held 79 roll-call votes.

The full Senate debated the health care bill for 25 straight days before passing it on Dec. 24, 2009.

There were 79 committee hearings on Obamacare, whereas:

By contrast, the AHCA was forced through the House without a single hearing in relevant committees, no score by the Congressional Budget Office and admissions from members of the House GOP that they had not read the very bill they voted on.

There were bipartisan committees:

The House process spanned three committees - Energy and Commerce, Ways and means, and Education and Labor - with dozens of hearings over many months.

House members spent nearly 100 hours in hearings, heard from 181 witnesses from both sides of the aisle, considered 239 amendments (both Democratic and Republican), and accepted 121 amendments.

Here are some more facts: https://www.dpcc.senate.gov/?id=328&p=issue

Basically, the method the Republicans are using to attempt to appeal Obamacare is exactly what they falsely claimed the Democrats did with Obamacare. So not only are they lying when they say that Obamacare was passed without transparency and Republican input, they are guilty of doing everything they falsely accused the Democrats of doing.

But yeah, they don't like to admit that in the bubble.

when the economy falters, the nation is awash in debt and interests payments become large budget line items, and "essential" programs such as social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and now Obamacare can no longer provide for what they have promised

When that all happens, you can take a deep look at military spending, and see how America would rather divert its money to pay for war, then towards taking care of the American people.

Health care is not what will bankrupt the country. Military spending will.

Ahh, the good old republican bubble, where they just spout a bunch of lies and ignore the truth.

Obama got 0 votes from Republicans for Obamacare. Spin it however you want but when they couldn't even get Senator Susan Collins - who is all intents and purposes a Democrat.

There were multiple bipartisan committees on Obamacare, and while the democrats wanted a single-payer system, in the end that was dropped because of Republican demands.

Now who is living in a bubble? Obamacare was passed by Democrats and only Democrats. They could have had single-payer if they wanted it. They chose to go into businesses with their friends in the health insurance industry instead.

There were bipartisan committees:

And with all that bipartisanship they got 0 Republican votes. Doesn't sound all that bipartisan to me.

So not only are they lying when they say that Obamacare was passed without transparency and Republican input, they are guilty of doing everything they falsely accused the Democrats of doing.

If there was all that transparency why did Nancy Pelosi tell her own members to pass it so they could find out what was in it? It was shoved down the throats of their own members. As for the Republicans, you are absolutely right they have not asked Dems for help in dismantling Obamacare - because they refuse to participate in that endeavor.

All that said, there will be no changes and Obamacare will become the new failing health care system that it replaced 8 years ago. More people will lose coverage and the costs will continue to increase and things will be right back where they were. The only answer as far as I am concerned is for the federal government to divy up the money and let the states do what they will. Let them all do their own thing and succeed or fail based on what the people of each state wants.

When that all happens, you can take a deep look at military spending, and see how America would rather divert its money to pay for war, then towards taking care of the American people.

Military spending is already far less than all combined health care spending and the difference is expanding not narrowing. In 2015 federal health spending was $938 billion. Defense spending was $602 billion. The gap between the growing federal health care spending and defense spending is widening - not shrinking as military spending is at historic lows as a percentage of GDP.

Health care is not what will bankrupt the country. Military spending will.

Much of the health care spending for Medicare and Medicaid are mandatory portions of the budget. Military spending is discretionary. It is easy to see that with current projections and the squeeze of continued annual deficits and increasing interest payments, health care spending is the runaway threat - not military spending.

Obama got 0 votes from Republicans for Obamacare. Spin it however you want

There is no spin. The Republicans had input, and there were open, bipartisan hearings. As much as you'd like to pretend the Republicans had no input, that's falsehood and lies. They didn't vote for Obamacare because for eight years the Republicans were obstructionist, not opposition.

Obamacare was passed by Democrats and only Democrats. They could have had single-payer if they wanted it. They chose to go into businesses with their friends in the health insurance industry instead.

Nope. They didn't go with single-payer, because they worked with the Republicans, after which the Republicans decided that it was better to not even insure the people at all, and refused to vote for Obamacare.

All that said, there will be no changes and Obamacare will become the new failing health care system that it replaced 8 years ago.

Which is why the problems in Obamacare should be fixed, rather than this disaster that the Republicans are failing to put together.

And if there are money problems, then divert from the military. Better to take care of your own people, then spend to kill others.

The GOP played reckless with politics. It was a desperate move for a desperate party.

You reap what you sow.