It has only taken them five years, but the Republicans have finally rolled out a
healthcare plan of their own. And what a plan it is. The Republicans have hammered the President and Democrats for instituting "the biggest tax hike in history" on the American people. They use faulty math and outright lies to push this argument, but when have Republicans ever been known to worry much about being truthful?
Before we go into the details of their proposal, we should first extend our collective hands to
Senators Coburn, Burr, and Hatch for finally accepting the fact that the way things were before the Affordable Care Act were unacceptable. They came really late to the party, but late is better than never. The unfortunate thing is that they came late to the party with stale and expired food that would wind up making the party a total disaster for most attendees.
What the Senate Republicans have proposed is for us to go back to the days where the consumer had no rights, the insurance companies made all the rules, and those with preexisting conditions will be hung out to dry yet again. Do you have high blood pressure or heart disease? Too bad. The "free market" has spoken and you're too expensive to cover. Depression? Sorry, you're just out of luck. You will just have to figure out a way to start being happy because your insurance company won't be there for you.
This proposal also does something that should make conservatives recoil: it
raises your taxes! You read that right. This proposal is a massive tax increase and the Senators don't even try to explain it away as anything else. The Republican proposal claims that it will cut the deficit by $1.5 Trillion over ten years. The only problem is that $1.1 Trillion of that comes from rolling back the tax break currently in place for employer-sponsored health insurance plans. So this plan will literally take money out of your pocket and raise your taxes.
Medicaid expansion is also on the chopping block in this proposal because why should poor people receive quality health coverage? They're poor! Why should we rich people have to pay for those making $8 dollars an hour to get health care? Never mind the fact that health care costs will sky rocket if we roll back the Medicaid expansion because these individuals will just start heading back to the emergency room when they have an ailment and those costs will be funneled on to the consumers who are lucky enough to have insurance. That doesn't matter though. It's a dog eat dog world out there. Let the strongest survive.
Not surprisingly, Fox News and countless conservative media outlets have rushed to this proposal's defense as proof that Republicans are serious about legislating and not just being the opposition party of "no." Fox News had a panel dedicated to heaping praise on this proposal
without mentioning any of the potential downfalls it may bring. They seemed to have forgotten the fact that this fight was fought five years ago and they were no where to be found.
Do not be duped by this Republican proposal. It is not good for you, your friends, your neighbors, or America. It will take us back to the days where you can be denied care for whatever reason an insurance company chooses. It will take us back to the days where the poor will face extreme hurdles to receive care. And it will take us back to the days where you will be left to fend for yourself if something catastrophic happens to you. If that's not already enough, it will also raise your taxes!