I’m sorry for using a photo of Senate Majority Leader and turtle-faced bitch Mitch McConnell, but this mess is on his shoulders. About six weeks ago, the House passed their American Health Care Act and they celebrated with a big party in the White House rose garden. It was a sea of white faces, almost entirely dudes over the age of 60. And they were all so pleased with themselves that they were going to rip affordable healthcare away from the elderly, the poor, the infirm and the vagina-havers. But! The Senate was like “slow your roll, this bill is going to change a lot and we might not be able to pass anything.”
What followed was six weeks of utter nonsense. The GOP senators – all old white dudes – working on the Senate bill decided to NOT talk to anyone about the bill, not answer any questions and not release any details ahead of time. They were shamed by their Democratic colleagues into finally releasing it yesterday. You can read some comprehensive coverage here and here. Here are some highlights:
*It will defund Planned Parenthood.
*It will drastically reduce the Obamacare tax credits.
*It cuts Medicaid coverage for veterans.
*No more employer or individual mandates.
*Higher premiums across the board, with less coverage (less bang for the buck, so to speak).
*Older people will pay up to five times more than younger people for their insurance.
*People with preexisting conditions will pay a lot more for their insurance too.
*If your insurance covers abortion, you won’t get a tax credit (I would be interested in how they define abortion, because I bet it includes many forms of birth control).
*Insurance companies will no longer be obligated to cover stuff like maternity care.
*Insurance companies will not longer be obligated to cover emergency services.
*Higher deductibles, especially for poor people.
*It cuts $4 billion from immunization programs.
*I’m pretty sure it outlaws vaginas.
And Bigly supports it.
I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017
Remember, the Bigly Administration and Congressional GOP have been slowing murdering Obamacare for months.
Obama wrote a lengthy Facebook post about the Senate bill – go here to read. His statement is thoughtful, reasonable and compassionate. I’m sure most Deplorables are already mocking it.
After the bill was finally released, people and protesters flooded the halls of Congress, especially outside the turtle-faced bitch’s office. Several of the protesters were in wheelchairs. They were hauled off by security and police. There’s footage of one woman literally being dragged off her wheelchair by security. This is the Sh-t Show. This is what all of those ignorant f–king Deplorables voted for.
A horrific metaphor for Trumpcare: this disabled woman literally being ripped from her wheelchair. #StopTrumpcare pic.twitter.com/F5kmz8rnCv
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) June 22, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
If I had any emotional output left for the week I would be enraged more. I called my senators in Fl (because I still vote there) and yelled a lot. It was relaxing.
Anyways this bill basically screws everyone. Got a vagina? Screwed. Unfortunate enough to be sick? Screwed. Got healthcare through your employer? Still screwed. It’s lovely really.
They had 8 years. Eight f*cking years to come up with a bill and nothing. They wrote the bill in secret and these idiots were talking about passing it when they hadn’t even read it. On top of that they are screwing the current market to make it seem like ACA doesn’t work. People in insurance have actually come out and said the market is being sabatoged.
For all the whining about the Middle East and Assad killing his citizens we are NOT any better.
I’m also a voter in FL and I called Little Rubio countless times yesterday and screamed! Sadly I don’t think he will do the right thing for the people of FL. Thankfully I didn’t have to call Sen. Bill Nelson, who actually cares about the people. I’m scared for my mom who went 6 years without any healthcare because she couldn’t afford it. Finally she is covered and pays $64 a month. She is terrified of losing her healthcare!
No, we are not any better. America is becoming uglier and more cruel by the day.
I am from Florida as well and read somewhere that a George Washington University study indicated 83000 jobs would be lost in Florida if Obama care is eliminated.If these jerks aren’t removed in November of 2018 I would consider leaving the country.Their hatred towards Obama is destroying this country.
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/obamacare-repeal-bill-would-cost-florida-83000-jobs-cut-86-billion-from-economy-ahca-study-warns-9426646
Thanks Lora and Laura! We need to elect more democrats in FL. We need to make sure that a Democrat is elected as governor and that Rick Scott doesn’t take Sen. Bill Nelson’s seat in 2018. Such a shame Patrick Murphy lost to Rubio.
Vote every election and encourage / educate yourself and others to do the same! Only 50% vote and apathy / protest non voting got us into this mess. Trump and co lies and kills! He sounded like conservative Bernie during the campaign but it was all lies. Dont get mad at each other just get motivated to prevent this happening again!
Saras, I agree with you a MILLION percent. People need to get out and VOTE, voter turnout is so low in this country! There is no point in Protesting if people don’t go out and VOTE, LA Country had a 11.45% turnout for the re-election of Eric Garcetti. Get out an vote, also we need to help getting voting rights restored you have done your time you should be able to vote!
I also live in Florida. It made me sick to see Trump signs in every yard, Trump bumper stickers on so many cars. Definitely time to elect democrats
I am sorry if I do not seem knowledgeable, but where are the proposed bills from both parties? The senate has a terrible bill, okay, but what do you expect? Where is the proposed Democratic health care bill? If they want to continue with Obamacare, where is the plan for funding it? I have Obamacare, and it wasn’t well funded this year. I had to raise my income up to $70,000 in order for my children to not be forced on to CHIP. One of my children has a very expensive medication that CHIP does not cover. I live in Florida as well. I wish we had decent health coverage like they do in Canada and the GB. Yes, Bill Nelson, does care about people.
Beth,
I am lucky that I am in a part of South FL that is pretty Democrat. But if If I go just a few miles north, there is an insane amount of Trump supporters, I always hold the urge to flip them off. Even though I have been flipped off and honked a few times for my two bumper stickers. One is the pussy hat with Nasty written on it and the other one says “Resist and Persist”. I have another one arriving soon that says Biden 2020. It’s so important to go to local meetings to be informed and meet the candidates running. An informed voter is a smart voter
@Connell The Dems don’t come up with a plan, they want to work on fixing the ACA but the Repubs want repeal and replace only. Since Repubs are in majority, their plan is the only thing that matters and they won’t work with Dems on fixing problems with ACA.
So, America is at the mercy of what Repubs have to offer. The write in secret and contrary to what they are saying, they haven’t invited Dems to the table to help write any legislation pertaining to healthcare. In fact, they haven’t invited most of their own party to help write it. Is a secret boys club lead by Mc Connell. I read that it’s only a small group of Repubs and they actually invited INSURANCE LOBBYIST to help write this plan. Like insurance lobbyists have the best interests of the American people at heart. It’s the bottom line for insurance companies, the almighty dollar is all they care about.
Hope that helps you understand 🙂
Connell — fixing problems with Obamacare requires extending it to higher incomes and/or strictly regulating the insurance companies so they can’t jack up premiums and deductibles. We also really need Medicare for All as an option. But these are not the directions the Republicans want to go. Instead, they want to cut subsidies, reduce Medicaid, are allergic to regulation, and want to privatize Medicare.
Obamacare was doing a lot of good regardless, but Trump has been destroying it since he was inaugurated. His first day, he stopped enforcement of the individual mandate, which convinced insurers to accept mandatory benefits, no more lifetime caps, and no more pre-existing conditions obstacles because it encouraged a lot of healthy people to get into the pool. He and the Republicans are refusing to guarantee continued payment of the subsidies. This is pushing insurers out of the exchanges and giving those who stay a reason to jack up premiums even more. If people don’t elect more Democrats in 2018 and put a Democrat in the White House in 2020, people who can benefit from Obamacare will be toasted extra crispy.
The Democrats are pretty busy trying to keep the dam from bursting, but I hope some of them are working to put together their own detailed package for fixing the problems with Obamacare and also providing a Medicare for All option. This could be done with the healthcare-related organizations that are opposed to Trumpcare. No chance of it passing the Republican-controlled Congress and Trump, but they need an alternative to present to the public. They also need to explain why what Trump and friends have been doing are destroying Obamacare right now They need to emphasize that the taxes on the very rich that the Republicans want to cut are needed to support the subsidies for the not-rich, and that such tax cuts are the real reason for the whole drive toward repeal and replace.
So insurance companies would not be obligated to cover maternity care and birth control. So even if you want to get pregnant, you may not get insurance.
Cuts benefits for veterans and yet the budget for the military was increased by billions. So a person can risk their life for their country but once they leave their benefits will be reduced.
Who thought this was a good idea?
This is a good idea for the rich that want to use the poor ( to become richer).
To correct the economy, the minimum wage must be raised. If a person works 40 hours a week, they should be able to afford their rent and health care. However, this bill shunts the welfare of all, giving all the extra tax $$$ to further the richest among us. They cannot buy health, but we, the poor cannot buy a doctor to help our tribulations.
the people who think this is a good idea want rich people to get richer and for poor people to stop burdening the rich with their problems by dying.
the less poor people or old people living, the less government spending needed to assist them. it seems incomprehensible that republicans are this cynical and evil but this bill and the house bill prove it.
Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that. So if you want to get pregnant, you will have to buy a separate maternity policy? I imagine the cost will be much higher if it’s not split among everyone. And what happens if you don’t have that coverage and you accidentally get pregnant? I don’t plan on having kids, so it won’t apply to me, but it seems like it screws anyone who wants kids. Insurance is complicated enough, now it’s going to be even worse?
The state of the world makes me NOT want to have any kids. I’ll probably adopt. Not only can I barely deal with the idea of raising a black child but I cannot deal with the lack of support for women in general. Childcare, pregnancy is already hard and we are almost last in prenatal/maternity leave/general care.
@Alex Your comment highlights something I have heard before but it is sad to hear it in 2017. I can’t imagine what it feels like for black parents to send their children out into the world in this social climate. I feel it some for my Jewish ones but the fact is unless they are at Hebrew school or camp or something no one knows what they are. It is heartbreaking for you to have to make a life decision based on the ignorance and cruelty of others. I won’t patronize you by saying Oh you will change your mind or other platitudes because the truth is, at the heart of it, it is understandable. 🙁
“I can’t imagine what it feels like for black parents to send their children out into the world in this social climate”
Same. I would fear for the safety of my children everyday. No to insinuate that racism and fear of law enforcement in the black community is new, but it does feel like it’s been officially sanctioned by that POS in the White House.
I hate every single thing about this past week..definitely one of the worst since he came into Office–and that’s saying a lot.
Snowflake – that’s how it worked before. In order to get a rider covering pregnancy and birth, you had to pay thousands of dollars more every year. It was crazy.
The Republicans disdain for veterans is beyond shameful. It literally makes me want to puke.
Another sad day for your country. How horrible it must be to have this happen to you all. If anyone in my surroundings had voted for Trump i would be ending my relationship with them at this point.
Thanks. I actually needed to end some relationships because I felt there was no use in discussion and this was a moral crisis. I just don’t see how to communicate with or care about people who wanted Trump to be president. And they’re not the stereotypical “deplorables” either — they’re well-off, educated Northerners. But there’s a vein of racism and selfishness there that I cannot stomach.
I feel like I need a whole post just discussing how seemingly intelligent, decent, and rational people can fall for such obvious propaganda. This happened to my parents, baby boomer generation and I still can’t understand it because I can see through it so easily. It really gets to me, even more than the sad state of the government.
I realize I’m really late to the party here, but does anyone want a post where we can discuss politics/ media effects on family and friends?
I ended relationships as well. This was not a typical election. It was not a normal democrat vs. republican. trump showed us in very clear terms who he was and what he was about. If someone could vote for that then we do not share the same values.
I didn’t vote for Trump, but the oldest son of my 4 kids did, we don’t talk politics because the one time we did, it became a heated argument!!! I don’t understand his thinking, hes a smart guy, but not when it comes to Trump!!!
There are many people I stay away from now. I can’t believe our country is so divided because so many people were conned by this well known con man monster. My family , who has nothing against any race, religion etc. are from Massachusetts and were always Democrats. Since moving to Florida, my parents never turn off Fox News. They actually believed that our Medicare, SSI and Medicaid wouldn’t be touched, and only thought about how Trump would bring back jobs. I don’t talk to my parents about politics because I end up screaming and stressed. This is so upsetting. How could they not see the truth?
I had a similar experience with my father in law. We always used to have healthy debates about politics and were on pretty much the same side (in favor of universal healthcare, affordable education, against corporate control of gov’t). But in November he voted for Trump, and I spoke to him last weekend and couldn’t even talk to him. He only watches Fox News now and every argument I had against Trump was dismissed as “fake news.” He even denied things that TRUMP HIMSELF HAS STATED (such as that he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation). It’s very sad. And fyi my father in law is a well educated man with a high paying job and lives in the Northeast. It’s astounding to me that someone like him could lose his critical thinking skills so rapidly.
I don’t get it. How did seemingly intelligent people fall for this guy. He was an obvious con to me. Mix that with all of his hateful rhetoric and I just don’t understand how people voted for him.
It’s like they get bitten by a Trump vampire and they turn.
So freaky.
@Tate-I too struggle every single day to understand it.
It’s all about the MONEY!!! These people who are smart, educated, etc., ONLY CARE about the MONEY and classifying the poor and people of color as inferior.
Has anybody monitored Fox News for subliminal messages? It seems so weird that people get addicted to having it on all the time and change so much as a result.
It all reminds me of that 1950’s movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was supposed to be modeled on the McCarthy era fanaticism. This is the same. It will pass but needs people to keep fighting, and insist on gerrymandered districts be dissolved. Also lobby for an age limit for congress and the senate and presidency. Cut off at say 65. Insist on medical checks for dementia. Soon, very soon, these old male, pale and stale men in politics will drop off. Just out of interest, did they continue to fund old mens’ erectile dysfunction medication?
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?!?!
I’m sorry but this is horse sh!t. And that video of them removing the woman from the wheelchair?! We’re they just going to place her on the ground outside?
But that’s not a new behaviour. People with addiction problems end up in prison. People with mental problems also end up in prison. They don’t care about the people, they never have. The true colours are now visible with this present administration. Before they were disguised.
Maybe all that what happens now and will be happening in the coming months will sort of cure the people of the USA and they will stop voting for people like Bush or Trump. Jesus, I really had to think hard just now, what the last name of the current POTUS is. 😀
We had police manhandling protesters in wheelchairs in Parliament over disability benefit cuts a couple of years back, here in the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/24/disability-campaigners-clash-with-police-inside-commons-over-benefit-cuts
It’s an outrage that disabled people can be treated with such contempt.
Older people have been just dropped off from hospitals with no plan, too. The government’s handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath made it abundantly clear that the safety net was broken and Americans are on their own. The extent of “on their own”-ness is just climbing further up the economic ladder and across the so-called race divide.
That made me so angry. Not only that but her top had ridden up and exposing her bra. Where’s the dignity, respect, compassion?
I agree it is a free for all now. I see all the smug little rich old white man faces and I want to vomit. He is now the lizard king, cold- blooded and stupid. I hope your country can last until the next election.
Just looking at Trump and Ryan sport that smug look on their faces makes me cringe. I have not words to describe the repulsion I feel when I look of all the coverage items they are removing from healthcare. Ugh.
Lyin’ Ryan and Don the con, two of the most punchable faces ever!
Please add Mitch McConnell – he makes me sick every time I look at his face.
Already using “Make America Kittens Again” to avoid Trump photos. Maybe we need a “Make America Turtles Again” to replace pictures of McConnell.
Who, by the way, benefited from government funding and programs to treat his polio when he was a little boy.
He really does have a punchable face doesn’t he?
Add Kellyann and Spicer to that list. Seeing and hearing them shoveling BS instead of answering questions boils my blood. These people must be punched
Please can we punch them! I will bring the brass knuckles and vaseline. I call Ryan and Kellyann Bowling-Green.
I know, they are despicable. And Bigly’s tweet about making it “very special?” WTF does that mean?
Both my teenage sons have serious medical conditions. My younger one already worries about how he’ll afford to live once he’s on his own, now he’s got a whole new financial burden looming over him. As someone said above, I’m now contemplating leaving the US.
Come to Canada Esmom!
Jaded, my older son would move to Canada in a heartbeat! For some reason he’s always been fascinated with it. In fact his 8th grade social studies teacher commented that he should be given honorary citizenship because his knowledge of the country was so impressive, lol.
Dear Esmom,
I think Trudeau being who he is, would consider a petition to grant your son dual citizenship based on that. He doesn’t sound like he’s using Canada as his escape hatch if he really likes Canada that much. I’ll help sign the petition to Trudeau if he wants to go.
When did “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty” become “My country and not yours, now go away”? These are just grown up greedy little boys with their fat snouts at the trough. Clearly their mothers did not raise them right.
Every time I read about Trump, a stream of expletives unloads inside my brain. I am not a violent person, so I can only hope that Karmic Justice is one mean B*&^h.
Trashaddict, I love the idea of Trudeau considering a petition for him, it’s comforting. We’re looking at colleges right now for fall 2018 and Canadian schools hadn’t even occurred to me. I need to do some research!
Ryan is just getting started. He has had Medicare and Social Security in his sights for a long time. I really don’t understand his obsession.
This gets worse everyday. Fucking unbelievable! These clowns had 7 years to create something new. How happy are the Trumpsters that need health insurance? They must be feeling pretty stupid believing that this con man actually had something perfect that would cover absolutely everyone and wouldn’t be expensive.
I hope they’re embarrassed and ashamed of themselves
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone was covered for basic medical services?
In one moment, ones’ life might be changed – and one may be disabled –
Yeah, in one moment a few weeks ago my son became a pre-existing condition when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. And these guys in Congress have had the nerve to say that people who take good care of themselves shouldn’t be burdened with other people’s “bad choices.” As if some bad choice made my fit and otherwise healthy son’s pancreas decide to shut down. *rips my hair out in a rage*
Those asshats won’t realize he conned them until the last possible second.
Grotesque. Throwing vets to the wolves after serving for years on end in our endless wars was an especially nice touch. And denying maternity care – why not end coverage for women altogether? I hope the supporters of this bill guts turn black and fall out.
It’s even worse than your description….
Giulia, they have black hearts, guard your own forever.
Didn’t the Republicans also exempt themselves, meaning their carrier has to cover maternity, pre existing, etc.? And curious if there is anything about not having to cover ED medication/treatment? Seems only fair.
Elected officials should be required to be on the exct same healthcare they’re forcing on their employers (the taxpayers).
I’ve said that FOREVER…. but fat chance of THAT EVER happening! Here, or in ANY country in this world.
Seeing these protesters being dragged out of wheelchairs, and even worse, the motorcyclist riding his bike through a crowd of protesters in SF- I am not even surprised anymore. Shocked and saddened, yes, but not surprised. It is so sad.
Back to the actual bill- so what I am reading is that the four GOP holdouts(this as of last night) aren’t behind it bec it doesn’t go far enough??? Based by this recap, I can’t fathom what else is left.
What is curious to me- so far, I haven’t seen where they have removed the requirement that hospital ERs have to receive/treat patients, regardless of insurance coverage,etc. in light of all this, why not gut this as well? Just so it’s clear-I am NOT in favor of this bill, nor eliminating the ER requirement. But given the draconian tenor of this bill, surprising they haven’t gone there-at least, not yet.
The Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act or EMTALA means that if you show up at a hospital in an emergency situation, the hospital must stabilize you to the point that you can be transferred elsewhere or released regardless of your ability to pay a the time. You will receive a bill. EMTALA was not part of the ACA. But EMTALA will not get you chemotherapy or radiation treatment or any surgery that is usually a scheduled procedure.
Thanks LP- was fuzzy on the details. Again, hope this requirement survives.
Thanks for the information and reminder.
Leaving the EMTALA alone allows Republicans to say that people will be covered no matter what because “emergency rooms have to take them.” Of course it’s nonsense when hospitals close and people need chronic care, but this Republican Congress isn’t where it is because of its capacity to make quality evidence-based arguments.
I saw some Tea Party idiot opposing the ACA years ago and she was talking about how she hadn’t had insurance but she survived and that there is no such thing as no healthcare. The interviewer asked How is that true? She said You go to the emergency room since they can’t turn you away. I wanted to slap her silly. So much for tea party self-responsibility. It isn’t free, the cost is passed on to others but it is ok as long as it isn’t the government. It doesn’t matter that it drives up health care costs just as long as no one gets something she has decided they shouldn’t have.
I mean all of it is downright cruel, nonsensical – but cutting 4 billion from immunization programs? That’s downright crazy, did they forget that all kids can catch diseases, not just the poor ones?!
It works perfectly in tandem with cuts to the CDC and NIH to leave the world population even more vulnerable to the next epidemic contagion.
Anti-vaccination is part and parcel of the anti-science movement and has actually been led by people who have just enough education to be dangerous. People who actually take their kids to “exposure” parties.
I’m not surprised. Trump is an anti vaxxer.
But don’t you see? They *want* the poor, disabled and elderly to die. It’s survival of the richest. No amount of words will change any of their minds. And remember: 54% of white women voted for Trump; and near 100% Black women voted Clinton. This is *not* just about “deplorables”; a significant number of voters for the evil cheeto were from middle-to-upper middle class backgrounds. They vote their race before their own best interest. It’s how the country has always been but just more clearly stratified than ever before.
Anna,
Yes, what you are saying is true. And it sucks. But please remember what website you are on. I would venture that most women on this website know that statistic, and that regardless of income or color or ethnicity, they did not vote for that son-of-a-b&^%c, and if they did, they’re probably long-gone from the commenters here. I spend 60+ hours a week in my healthcare job with underserved patients and you can be damn sure I do not want any human beings to die.
Especially strange if McConnell had polio as a child. There are problems with today’s vaccination overload that need to be solved (at least by better scheduling and home visits to allow single rather than multiple vaccinations, I’d like to see routine monitoring with modern gadgets also), but defunding immunization programs seems peculiar. The vast majority of people do want those programs to continue.
mcconnell better watch his ass b/c if he even ends up in the hospital – a LPN who gets kicked off medicaid (who works 12 hour shifts at 3 different hospitals to make ends meet) might shit in his IV bag. it can’t happen soon enough.
🙂
Sigh. I’m so sorry my American friends. There is always a place for you here in Canada, land of free healthcare, good people and non-Bigly’s.
Well…hi from Canada too. And there’s a place for you if you have a certain amount of money in the bank, English or French language skills, are middle-aged or younger, educated, and have a professional skill-set in demand as stated by the government of Canada. There are other smaller programs for investors etc. but generally it’s a several-year process unless you find an employer to bring you over the border. And it’s a much smaller economy, so it’s back to those in-demand skill sets.
We’d love to see more Americans here to liven up the joint. ; )
Sigh. I would love to move to Canada but I doubt I’d be granted citizenship due to the reasons you mentioned 🙁 I feel so hopeless. I have a chronic illness and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to afford treatment if I stay here (and I have employer-based coverage) 🙁
I am a dual citizen but my fear is not getting a job in Canada, (I am currently a Fed at HHS). I need to work. 🙁 If I got a job I would be there in a heartbeat.
good stabbers i guess
There’s no way to “modify” the Affordable Care Act in a way that suits both wealthy Republicans AND the sick and vulnerable of America. The Obama version was the best possible compromise in the face of heated Congressional opposition (IE insurance dollars) and Joe Lieberman’s refusal to support a single-payer option. At this point, they are choosing to dismantle both the nation’s public and the private health-insurance systems in favour of the wealthy, especially their donors – both private and industry.
American health CARE may further collapse in tandem with the collapse in health INSURANCE. After that, either there’s a weak, dependent nation OR new leadership will ultimately arise and create a single-payer system. It took a Civil War to abolish slavery, and even imperfectly and not for all time either.
This is a rogue government that feels secure enough to do these things. Race against time to see if the Mueller investigation and the Justice system hold up because the Executive and the Congressional branches are corrupt and ugly.
Bah!
Maybe I am missing something but let me get the straight …
Conservative repubs want to curtail birth control and pregnancy coverage. And public education and Medicaid and SNAP.
So if you are poor (or at least not wealthy) and even if you can afford your own insurance you may still have to pay out of pocket to:
– exercise reproductive freedom
– access antenatal care
– educate and provide for your children
Heaven forbid you are unlucky enough to lose your job or get ill and cannot work for an extended period or anything like that. Obviously that never happens to anyone …(eye roll).
How the GOP sells this bulls#it is beyond me.
And they get re-elected time and again. Sorry, the problem is not solely with Congress and Trump.
It’s the voters, the money and the gerrymandered districts.
And people say the Dems are toxic? That Pelosi and Clinton are the problem?
Yet Mitch and the boy can peddle their “Handmaid’s Tale” / Ayn Rand crap to the masses and get praised. Yeah, praised for the brilliant con job.
I mean the GOP just has to whisper Pelosi and/or Clinton and their base shows up in force regardless of the nonsense spewed. They will vote against their interest because of their hatred.
Dems and independents on the other hand cannot seem to realize that their rights are being stripped away as they wait for a candidate they can all get behind. Someone they can all support. Good luck with that while the GOP takes you all back to the 1950s (or worse).
WTF! Ain’t it motivation enough to vote AGAINST this crap?!
Sure, I understand we all want a candidate we can fully and passionately support but sometimes it’s better to compromise for someone who won’t strip you of your rights and protections as opposed to staying home and passively allowing the opposition to take over.
Yeah, Trump’s presidency won’t last forever and neither will the GOP strangle hold on Congress but the thing is some opportunities only come once and never are seen again.
Don’t take a gamble with your rights, freedoms and protections.
Yes agreed
Trump is throwing a lot of the costs the government has been paying for back to the states. We have a $ 20 trillion debt. For example, if you want an abortion paid for in the future, you will need to live in a state that pays for it.
Our social services, and all that goes with it, have been going down hill since Reagan. Bill Clinton did away with welfare as we knew it. I grew up in the 70’s and received food stamps during college. It was easy to qualify. There were free clinics, and medical services were much cheaper. I remember getting birth control for free because of my income. Obamacare would be fine, if it is funded like it should be. Eight years and Congress still does not have the answers. The insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies make huge money off of our problems. Evil people.
This isn’t a healthcare bill, it’s a tax break for the rich funded by the health and well being of everyone else.
Marion Wright Edelman said once that American doesn’t have a funding problem (in regard to children’s needs), it has a values and priorities problem.
Military > education and infrastructure
Wealthy > sick and poor
And so on.
Sam Seder pointed out recently: Mitch McConnell is an old fart with $40 million in the bank. He doesn’t need to line up a high paying job with some insurance company by producing this crap. He’s just placing the health and financial security of millions of Americans in jeopardy, for kicks.
He’s not known for any particular ideology or legislative accomplishment other than the exercise of power. Now he’ll be remembered as the man who destroyed the US Senate (and maybe the Supreme Court). Congratulations, Mitch.
I was on twitter a few hours after it was released and it was interesting to see that there were not a lot of posts from Trump supporters. A few praising the death of Obama care, but the rest started posting re Johnny Depp, because apparently even die hards have no way of defending this mess.
I am wondering though, the Medicaid measure will not become effective until 2021. Is that on purpose, so that the damage cannot be felt that strongly for the next election?
Yes, that’s exactly right.
Anything to roll back the gains made by a Black man. They can’t stand Obama because he represents everything they will never be. This is about race, pure and simple, and the most extreme xenophobia. Like any disease, Whiteness Maleness knows it is dying and is grasping at anything to keep alive. Hopefully the majority of us as a unified people can withstand and get past the many deaths that will occur over the next decade of the poor, veterans, people of color, disabled, etc. and resist long enough to see these horrible men finally kick the bucket and maybe just maybe they won’t have imparted their horrific racism and hatred to new generations but rather we will see the dawning of a new age. I fear, though, that the majority of us will die before we see any change. In fact, this country was built on blood and chattel slavery and that pox is so deeply ingrained in every aspect of “American” life in the USA that maybe the country can never be anything more than its lowest common denominator…
Anna,
Whenever I mention America being built on slavery, I add that we are on stolen land taken, in part, through genocide. Native Americans are killed at a similar rate to black Americans by police but remain invisible to most Americans. I agree with your post & am terrified.
And they won’t get enough votes for this in its current form. Because it isn’t cruel enough for Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
Joy Reid was saying on Twitter that the Republicans aren’t even hiding that they’re a party of plutocrats anymore.
Just to reiterate, people will literally die of this gets passed.
use his picture, people need to put his face with this clusterfuck.
oh and fun fact: mitch had polio as a child and was treated for free by the government–REALLY PUTS THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE, EHH?
No wonder he gets along so well with Paul ‘The Govt paid for my college education’ Ryan.
Basically if you are a woman, newborn, veteran, or use mental health services, the GOP worked to screw you over.
Even rich men will ultimately be affected because weak insurance degrades the quality of care (not to mention raises the level of uncontrollable contagion, health impact of pollution, tainted food and water, etc.). But they won’t see that on the individual level; it will only be confirmed over time on the population level.
I read a report from a former *Republican* Congressional aide who believes this will not only fuck over the vast majority of Americans, it could also collapse the entire insurance industry. By removing the individual and employer mandates but keeping the mandate that insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions (though states will be allowed to determined what plans have to cover, so people with pre-existing conditions will still be screwed), only sick people will be buying insurance, which will cause premiums to rise to exorbitant levels (and the more they rise, the more people will drop their plans, which will only cause premiums to rise even more). This will invariably cause many insurance companies to go under. And hospitals, especially ones in rural areas, will be at risk as well, as many of them rely on medicaid reimbursements. Bottom line: this bill is as bad for the insurance industry and hospitals as it is for the rest of us.
As an aside, apparently Democrats are still refusing to push for single payer in the midterms and instead plan to campaign on an “improved” ACA. This is why the Dems will never win. If the Rethugs cause the collapse of the insurance industry, single payer (expanding medicare to cover everyone) is the only solution. And now that people have gotten a taste of what having dependable (albeit still un-affordable for many) healthcare is like, I’m sure single payer would be an easy sell.
I’m also infuriated that Turtle McConnell had those peaceful protesters removed. Rethugs won’t attend town hall meetings anymore, and now apparently peaceful protest in the only place you could hope to meet face to face with your representative is a crime. That, combined with the fact that a majority of Americans are against this bill and the bill was drawn up in secret without input from Democrats and most Republicans, shows that our “representative” democracy is a joke.
More than just the insurance industry will be damaged. Their Medicaid cuts go beyond the ACA expansions and will cut deeply into state budgets and the industries that serve elders and the disabled. The ACA also included provisions to train and encourage more physicians and other medical practitioners to go into the fields of primary care, pediatrics, and gynecology because there are severe shortages of these providers in many parts of the country – that will be gone. Good luck finding a primary care doctor ten years from now if this happens. There are also measures in the ACA that keep hospitals solvent, provide for medical providers to update their electronic record keeping and for hospitals to have systems that monitor patient’s drug interactions, which cut down on fatal drug overdose accidents in hospitals. All this and more will be gone.
Yup. We’ll probably also lose many of the million jobs that were created when the ACA was implemented. And those are mostly good jobs with decent wages and benefits. But hey, at least Trump is going to bring back a handful of low-paying coal miner jobs that come with a side of black lung! /s
This is truly terrifying. What are these legislators thinking? Why is nobody (in office) making a bigger deal about what a horrible plan this is? Why aren’t any republicans standing up for their voters?
Call your oh-so-Christian extremist Republican senators and remind them of this:
Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Or an alternate version
“The King will reply. Truly I tell you, whatever you did NOT do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did NOT do for me.”
Not that it will matter, because none of them are true Christians or they wouldn’t do what they do.
The Deplorables always vote against their interests. It is not the costal elites, i.e. intelligentsia who benefited from Medicaid expansion. Wake up, Deplorables. Wake up.
It’s. Not. Just. “Deplorables.” Remember, 54% of White Women and a range of white voters across economic strata voted for this evil. *People voted race.* End of story.
How is this crap even legal? I’m Canadian and we complain about the state of our healthcare alot (it’s a Canadian national pastime!) but I’m devastated for everyone who will suffer because of this, no one should have to worry about dying because their gov’t is so cruel, dis-compassionate, and inhumane.
Really ashamed of my government right now… my Senators are Schumer and Gillibrand so at least I can take some comfort
Wow, the republicans really are evil.
Those poor people being dragged while fighting for their right to live is honestly heartbreaking.
I honestly cannot understand why a rich country refuses to give its people healthcare ?!
Its not like the country cant afford it
Here, Chile, after a 17 year a bloody right wing hard capitalism dictatorchip that took away almost every right we had we are getting them back little by little. There are a lot of thing left to do a LOT and our resources as a poor country are very limited but even us have some basic health insurance given by the goverment and a series of basic rights for access to health and a list of diseases that are covered no matter specially if they are have high cost ….a cousin got bariatric surgery recently in this system..my mom is over 60 and there a lot of things she gets for free for her age….as i said we are a developing country and our health, pension, education systems have tons of problems…but we can see progress on those issues little by little.
What Trump and the republicans are doing seems so cruel and unnecesary that is very hard to understand how can these people sleep at night knowing that a tax cut for the richest will surely mean lost of lives and how can people still vote for them on every single special election so far even if the republucans are so transparent in their intentions?
Please do. We (Argentina) still take care of a lot of our neighbours. I can’t wait for our health care to finally put an end to Health Tourism. Our own resources are being depleated by foreigners who don’t even live here, legally or not, while our citizens don’t have a hospital bed to fall on because it’s already being used by someone who contributes zero to our economy and society, while our pensioners see their medication taken off their health insurance. Every country is a different shade of f*cked up.
Well the only thing we can hope for if this terrible excuse for a healthcare bill passes is to energize voters in the midterm elections next year. Perhaps Democrats will gain the votes they need to win the majority. If the GOP knew anything about strategy they would try to FIX the holes in the Affordable Care Act not destroy it. But again they can’t stand that the previous administration was the first to pass and enact a healthcare system for all.. even though it is NOT perfect. No program is perfect from the get go. As responsible legislators it is their elected duty to fix the current issues and make the system better. But the GOP apparently only care about appeasing their base. I work in healthcare and I have a feeling this will result in a landslide of legislators being unseated next year. You can’t give healthcare to people and then take it from them and expect no repercussions. It’s the facts. Oh kindly remember when the 111th congress passed the ACA the majority of the GOP did not want anything to do with it. Mainly because A. It gave all the credit to a black man from the opposing party. 🙌🏻 B. They care more about the large companies that fund their re-elections than caring about everyday people veterans, teachers, firefighters… etc..
I hope this irresponsible behavior FINALLY enrages people to get out there and vote. We were all too comfortable the last 8 years. We forgot just how bad it can get.
Please VOTE!
When are the next congressional elections? (or however you say that in english). The idiots who did not vote for HRC should mark their calendars and make sure they VOTE to clean up your Congress. Take their majority away and watch them scramble and collapse.
November 2018. All 435 House seats are up for election. In the Senate, only 34 Senate seats (out of 100) are contested in 2018, and 25 of those are already held by Democrats.
Call you senators even if they oppose the bill. Calls really make a different. If they don’t get them, they assume the issue isn’t important to their constituents. I live in MA; been calling my 2 Dem senators everyday. The sight of the Capital Police hauling away the disabled protesters was disgusting. I called them & asked a media spokesperson if he was aware that the CP were dragging disabled people down the hallway just like the poor guy on the United plane. Long pause then “Thank you for calling”
I just keep thinking of Ebenezer Scrooge’s line in “A Christmas Carol” about “decrease the surplus population.”
Sigh. I’ve emailed my Republican senator, who, to my surprise, is one who has refused to vote on the bill without reading it and considering its impact on state residents. Whether we agree on what constitutes “impact” is up for big-time grabs, but I do appreciate his not jumping to vote on it…..
I swear they are determined to return the US to the days of the Robber Barons. God help us all if they succeed.
What is the actual rock bottom, where people won’t support Trump anymore? When someone in their family dies because of lack of health care?
Some people never change their mind. In my country, when something like that happens, the government’s supporters blame others, never the government.
I hate to bring up Venezuela, because the situation there is not exactly clear, but current deaths of children in hospitals are publicly being blamed on the USA. Maduro’s supporters say it’s the foreign governments’ blocks that are causing struggle; not their economic policies, not their lack of long term plans, not corruption.
And Maduro blames the rest, all while also asking foreign governments to “get their dirty hands” out of their country.
Maduro blaming the US is pure BS propaganda which used to work until maybe two years ago. I am sure Maduro himself doesn’t believe it, because he knows it’s not true. I am sure that Chavez didn’t believe it either. But of course, it was a convenient “excuse”. The country is run by narcos – even ministers, politicians, army generals are involved. Maduro and his clique destroyed a very beautiful country, a very blessed country in terms of geography and potential. They can have at least two crops a year yet people starve. That country doesn’t produce almost anything at all. Now they import oil although they have the highest oil reserves in the world.
People are starving and dying because of lack of medicine, starvation, and violence, in a country that is not at war. (even Syria has lower inflation than Venezuela).
I was talking about this with a book group last week, and we truly think it would be for Trump to say “Black Lives Matter”, criticize police brutality and officers getting off for murder, call himself a feminist, hire Hillary Clinton, acknowledge climate change etc.
There is really nothing else he could do to turn off his die hard supporters. They have turned liberal to an insult in their camp and criticize all liberal talking points. Those are the things that would cause them to turn on Trump.
I’m just so upset and discouraged with everything that’s happening I don’t know how to go on. I try to stay positive, I try to focus on channeling this energy productively by calling my representatives and donating money showing up at demonstrations, but nothing helps. Nothing changes. I’m so afraid of what each day is going to bring. I’m scared of the hatred I see rising out of my fellow citizens and the empowered racism and sexism and frenzied religious homophobia and rejection of science. I’m scared to be black. I’m scared to be a woman. I’m scared to be openly gay. I want to emigrate, but I work a minimum wage job and I don’t think I’ll be accepted somewhere else. I feel so hopeless and I don’t know what to do. How do I distract myself from the burning dumpster fire that is our country?
@NevaD, hang in there. While I’m not black, I’m Jewish woman and gay, so I’m afraid too. As a disabled vet, who works p/t, the cuts to the VA if implemented could make me homeless. I don’t have the option to emigrate either (looked in going to UK) but since I’m not considered “employable” full-time that’s a no-go. I have no answers, just know you aren’t alone. 💜
Thank you, Bethy, sincerely. I’m trying to keep my head up, but some days it’s much harder than others. Even if no one has answers, feeling less alone does absolute wonders for morale. 🙂 (And thank you for your service!)
You shouldn’t have to be afraid of what you are. Remember that there’s many,many of us out there that would never ever look down at, hate,or be againt you. This is so unfair that anyone has to be scared. I’m disabled and unable to work and I’m in big trouble if I lose Medicaid. I don’t know what I’ll do if this government mess gets any worse. We have to make it through and not give up
The Democrats need to hang this albatross around every Republican neck they can find. Forget (for the time being) trying to get traction on Russia, or obstruction of justice, or whatever other criminal behavior administration officials are engaging in. Dems need to hammer home – with as many real life examples as they can find – of how miserable most people’s lives would become if this actually comes to pass.
They do need to talk about real examples, quick and to the point. Such as grandma having to move in with the family once Medicaid stops paying for nursing home care, and she has no home or assets herself.
Or Uncle Larry who has diabetes no longer having coverage because he switches jobs and it’s considered a pre-existing condition. It goes untreated and his foot has to be amputated. Or the largest employer in Texas decides it’s too expensive to provide health care plans for their employees and suddenly thousands of people find themselves without subsidized health insurance.
aggressively “inclusive”….I do not think that word means what you think it means…
Come to Canada now. Don’t wait till Gilead mans the gates with machine guns.
Amen. I am really thinking seriously about this…
America needs to join the rest of us in the 21st century. Any country that charges people for being sick is seriously screwed up.
Our fellow countrymen and women support King Karny and have turned on us in defense of The Greatest Sh!tstorm on Earth. Our family and neighbors vehemently admonish our opposition to the GOP’s outrageous crimes while Grinch McConnell is stealing their own Christmas Tree as Gnomy Sessions keeps a lookout.
Republicans are determined to be cruel and punish people for no good reason except to oppose Obama. Not that actual lives matter to these cretins. They have no compassion for their fellow man or for the people they are supposed to serve. Wealthy people do not need tax cuts and it is beyond disgusting to try to enrich themselves so when they go private and make more money, they can keep it to themselves for their “service”. I see you Paul Ryan. We aren’t your grand social experiment in your faux intellectual delusional mind. This man is a complete dolt but thinks he is some brilliant economist. If I ever met him in a dark alley I would try my best to kick his sorry ass. I may lose but I would make sure to inflict maximum damage.
*It will defund Planned Parenthood.
*It will drastically reduce the Obamacare tax credits.
*It cuts Medicaid coverage for veterans.
*No more employer or individual mandates.
*Higher premiums across the board, with less coverage (less bang for the buck, so to speak).
*Older people will pay up to five times more than younger people for their insurance.
*People with preexisting conditions will pay a lot more for their insurance too.
*If your insurance covers abortion, you won’t get a tax credit (I would be interested in how they define abortion, because I bet it includes many forms of birth control).
*Insurance companies will no longer be obligated to cover stuff like maternity care.
*Insurance companies will not longer be obligated to cover emergency services.
*Higher deductibles, especially for poor people.
*It cuts $4 billion from immunization programs.
*I’m pretty sure it outlaws vaginas.
Do Republican voters UNDERSTAND the IMPLICATIONS of ALL of THIS? It’s not like they are all rich and privileged. How about when karma bites them in the a** they don’t have medical insurance? Or if god forbid, women among them suffer from sexual violence?
Don’t they get free health insurance for life for themselves and their dependents, if they serve a certain number of years? I thought that was how the Duggar family got their health insurance, because the father served as a congressman. Does anyone know?
Thank you to the writers and the commenters on this blog. I’m pretty much at a loss for words about this bill but reading all your comments, filled with rage and sadness help somehow..just to know that people are as upset as I am and I am not alone.
Damn…I seriously got teary-eyed cuz of y’all. It’s just good to be reminded that there are Americans who still care. Love my celebitches.
I want to believe and do believe that sanity will prevail.
This whole situation is utterly disgusting and outrageous.
+100 I don’t know what I’d do without knowing there’s people who see the truth like I do. Thank you so much, celebitches
This is what Americans want though, right. People are still voting Republican. So either the large majority of Americans are mentally deficient or this is the America you want.
A country full of people who think universal healthcare is an anathema. That believe access to healthcare is not a right.
Glad I don’t live there.
All of the above. I am disgusted.
White people are voting Republican. Remember, Black women voted almost 100% for Clinton so sorry, but we did our part. We knew. We always know. I for one am sick of trying to fix this f-ing country. Maybe we should go the Marcus Garvey route and do the Black Star Line repatriation and leave white folks to sit with the shit storm they created hundreds of years ago… Of course, that does not help our Native brothers and sisters but…I just get so sick of hearing “Americans”–no, white people did this. White people created this from the get go. This country exists as it is because of White people and it is maintained by white supremacy which is an intrinsic part of this country’s foundation and function in every realm. Anyone denying it is either white or delusional.
The large majority of people are either voting Democratic or not voting at all. Trump was elected by only about 25% of the registered voters. There are plenty of people not registered to vote.
So a lot less than 1/4 of eligible adults voted for Trump and that’s about right for other Republicans also.
If this heavens forbid passes and repeal takes place,I want this to go into effect immediately so people will see first hand the damage they have done.If there is a two year rollover then people won’t see the effects until after November of 2018 and there are still too many people defending this new plan and will continue until they personally are hit with the reality of it.
Dusgusting. But it is no suprise, unfortunantly.
On msn.com it says that Trump’s approval rating has gone up 3 points.
I’m so stressed about this. I work in a nursing home and I read that 60% of patients are Medicaid funded. So this will bankrupt the nursing home industry. If anyone has any input I’d like to hear it because I don’t understand the funding aspect.
If this is true, what will happen to my patients? what will people do with their loved ones while they have to work? Patients that require a mechanical lift to transfer? Patients that have to be on a schedule to ensure they don’t end up with pressure sores. Special diets so they don’t lose weight or aspirate.
I’ll lose my job, but we will be okay for a while. The problem will be when I can’t find another job bc my other option is pediatrics and that’s largely funded by Medicaid too.
When my aunt needed 24/7 supervision for Alzheimer’s, she had to deplete her assets (just savings in her case) first and then Medicaid started to pay the substantial difference between the nursing home fee and her income (pension and Social Security). She was allowed to prepay for a funeral and keep a little bit of money in the bank in case there were small things she wanted. It took a few months for her assets to be depleted in paying the nursing home, but they always got their full fee because of Medicaid paying the difference. My aunt had worked a good job (registered nurse) all her adult life and was very frugal – without the Alzheimer’s, she could have lived easily on her pension and Social Security. But she could not pay for the nursing home she ultimately needed.
So with Medicaid reductions, nursing homes will have fewer residents or will have to drastically cut their fees. My aunt’s nursing home did only light nursing care and was non-profit, run by an order of Catholic nuns. It cost $4000 per month back at the end of the last century, but her paychecks while working were much smaller than they would be today. So her pension and Social Security couldn’t cover the fee even for that situation.
I don’t know how long Medicare and any supplemental insurance helped prolong the period before her savings were depleted. Medicare pays only 80% and private supplemental insurance for the remaining 20% costs too much for me (3 times the cost of the Medicare premium). There is a very low cap on how long Medicare will pay for nursing home care as far as I know. I think they count on Medicaid taking over at that point.
I think Medicare only covers 90 days in a calendar year (the idea being it’s for brief periods of rehabilitation). So, if an elderly person breaks a hip, he/she can have up to 90 days in a facility to bridge the gap between hospital and home. It’s not set up to cover chronic, ongoing 24/7 needs that end up devouring one’s life savings very quickly.
Remember when DT made fun of the disabled man? This is exactly where that pointed and people still voted for him. SMDH.
Because Whiteness trumps everything, no pun intended. Apparently Amerikkka must pay for having eight years of a Black President. For a country founded on slavery and genocide enacted by White people, they can never live it down that Obama actually won and made this country actually great again–or at least, did his best in the face of the most incredible odds and hatred leveled against him.
If it’s any comfort, this could be one step back before taking two steps forward. Here in Australia, our first attempt at universal healthcare was overturned within a few years, but then it came back even better with the next government, and has remained in place ever since.
Best luck to you on getting proper universal healthcare as soon as possible.
I hope that’s the case. At least this latest draft has got some people thinking about the realities of what may be taken for granted.
Take to the streets US voters.
#Resist.
You can, you will, you must ensure that this bill is rejected.
OMG! That was so embarrassing! So this is what our country has become? SAD!
I am so ashamed of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and the other Republicans. So unAmerican to steal from the needy for the benefit of the rich. What’s happening here? What’s happening to our country? People — as in everyone — need to stand up and protest against this in their communities, with their phones, with the online petitions. Life as we know it, that is we, the people who are not rich, is about to massively change if we don’t get our message to these greedy elected officials — this is absolutely not OK.
I am so sorry to hear that this fear and hate mongering that these Rethuglicans call a “healthcare act” is about to be unleashed on any American that has good sense , aka, a non Trump voter. I wish that this vile piece of legislation would just be shoved down the throats of all Trump voters instead- let THEM deal with the consequences of not being able
To pay for their pregnancies and ante and post natal care; let them deal with the consequences of having too many children that you can’t economically and emotionally afford to look after, because there is no
Access to proper birth control (no abstaining doesn’t count), let them deal with dying of cancer at a younger age because they can’t afford the expensive treatment and therapy. The voters who unleashed this beast and his minions upon the country, let THEM deal with the consequences! Why does everyone else have to suffer due to their hatred of the black guy who dared to be president?
I will never understand why any woman votes Republican. I suspect these are the same women who go on a diet because “My husband doesn’t like the extra weight I gained”.