Amazing how the GOP wants to change history. “Obamacare” always was a REPUBLICAN plan. It is virtually identical to Romneycare in Massachusetts, designed by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank. What appealed to conservatives (before Obama took it up as his THIRD choice) was two things: first, that it had an individual responsibility component; and second, it didn’t significantly change the existing insurance industry.It is well known that the insurance industry is the biggest obstacle to efficient, comprehensive, and inexpensive healthcare in this country, but by the same token it is rich and powerful, and thus hard to dislodge.Obama’s first choice, like most people who have studied the issue, was single-payer — “Medicare for all” — which would save us VAST amounts of money and enable government negotiation with Big Pharma, like other countries. (Prior to Obamacare, the US was BY FAR the #1 most expensive for healthcare in the world — 50% more expensive per capita than #2 — and we didn’t even cover everyone.) Obama’s second choice was a government-supported nonprofit insurance provider — kind of like the way Blue Cross used to be — which would take onboard everyone who didn’t have their own insurance. Despite the assertions that the free market is always more efficient than government, for some reason the GOP shot down that suggestion, because the insurance industry felt threatened by a nonprofit provider.Obama’s third choice was a Republican plan, which left the entire nightmare network of overpriced, awkward, and bureaucratic insurance industry constraints in place, but at least covered more people and eliminated a few key clauses like the “pre-existing condition” gimmick used to take away insurance and steal money from many sick people. This is what became “Obamacare.” It’s not great, but it’s better than what
Amazing how the GOP wants to change history. “Obamacare” always was a REPUBLICAN plan. It is virtually identical to Romneycare in Massachusetts, designed by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank. What appealed to conservatives (before Obama took it up as his THIRD choice) was two things: first, that it had an individual responsibility component; and second, it didn’t significantly change the existing insurance industry.It is well known that the insurance industry is the biggest obstacle to efficient, comprehensive, and inexpensive healthcare in this country, but by the same token it is rich and powerful, and thus hard to dislodge.Obama’s first choice, like most people who have studied the issue, was single-payer — “Medicare for all” — which would save us VAST amounts of money and enable government negotiation with Big Pharma, like other countries. (Prior to Obamacare, the US was BY FAR the #1 most expensive for healthcare in the world — 50% more expensive per capita than #2 — and we didn’t even cover everyone.) Obama’s second choice was a government-supported nonprofit insurance provider — kind of like the way Blue Cross used to be — which would take onboard everyone who didn’t have their own insurance. Despite the assertions that the free market is always more efficient than government, for some reason the GOP shot down that suggestion, because the insurance industry felt threatened by a nonprofit provider.Obama’s third choice was a Republican plan, which left the entire nightmare network of overpriced, awkward, and bureaucratic insurance industry constraints in place, but at least covered more people and eliminated a few key clauses like the “pre-existing condition” gimmick used to take away insurance and steal money from many sick people. This is what became “Obamacare.” It’s not great, but it’s better than what