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[webfact]

Republicans plan healthcare vote; Obama and TV host denounce bill

By Susan Cornwell and Susan Heavey

 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Elizabeth Shafiroff

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans announced plans to vote next week on their latest bid to scuttle Obamacare even as a popular comedian who has become part of the U.S. healthcare debate denounced the bill and former President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned of "real human suffering."

 

President Donald Trump, who has expressed frustration at the Senate's failure thus far to pass legislation dismantling Obama's signature legislative achievement, said "47 or 48" Republicans back the bill, which needs 50 votes for passage in the 100-seat Senate, which his Republican Party controls 52-48.

 

"We think this has a very good chance," Trump, who made replacing Obamacare a top 2016 campaign promise, told reporters during an appearance with Egypt's president in New York.

 

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul opposes the bill. At least five other Republicans are undecided on it: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, John McCain of Arizona and Jerry Moran of Kansas.

 

Republican Senator John Thune on Fox News said: “We’re a handful of votes short of having the 50 that we need."

 

As they worked to gather enough votes to win, after prior legislation failed in July, congressional Republicans and the White House were on the defensive after Jimmy Kimmel used his late-night TV show to blast the proposal and call Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, one of its two sponsors, a liar.

 

"This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face," Kimmel said on his show on Tuesday night, referring to the senator who since May had touted a "Jimmy Kimmel test" of standards any Obamacare replacement would need to possess.

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was noncommittal on Tuesday about scheduling a vote, now intends to bring it to the Senate floor next week, said his spokesman David Popp.

 

Republicans are using the measure Cassidy is sponsoring with fellow Senator Lindsey Graham to make one last push this year to pass legislation to roll back the 2010 Obamacare law, a goal of theirs for seven years, facing a Sept. 30 deadline.

 

Avalere Health, a healthcare consultancy to hospitals and insurers, forecast that the bill would slash federal funding to states by $215 billion through 2026, with 34 states facing cuts.

 

Hit hard would be Democratic-governed California and New York, which expanded the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and disabled under Obamacare, while Republican-governed Texas, which did not expand Medicaid, would be a winner, Avalere said.

 

It remained unclear if the bill, opposed by Democrats and top medical groups and hospitals, can attract the 50 votes needed for passage, with Vice President Mike Pence ready to cast a tie-breaking vote.

 

OBAMA WARNS

 

In a speech in New York, Obama defended the Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare, which expanded medical insurance to 20 million Americans.

 

"So when I see people trying to undo that hard-won progress for the 50th or 60th time, with bills that would raise costs or reduce coverage or roll back protections for older Americans or people with pre-existing conditions ... it is aggravating," the Democratic former president said.

 

"And it's certainly frustrating to have to mobilize every couple of months to keep our leaders from inflicting real human suffering on our constituents."

 

Cassidy defended his bill, which would divvy up healthcare money as block grants to states, let them opt out of some Obamacare consumer protections and waive requirements that insurers cover certain benefits. It also would end Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

 

Kimmel entered the healthcare debate after revealing on his show in May that his newborn son had undergone life-saving emergency surgery for a congenital heart condition, and pleaded that no family be denied medical care because they cannot afford it. Cassidy appeared that month on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

 

"He said he would only support a healthcare bill that made sure a child like mine would get the health coverage he needs no matter how much money his parents make," Kimmel said on Tuesday.

 

"Stop using my name, OK? Because I don't want my name on it. There's a new 'Jimmy Kimmel test' for you. It's called the lie detector test. You're welcome to stop by the studio and take it any time," he said to cheers from his audience.

 

KIMMEL BLASTED

 

Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who represents Louisiana, gave a measured response to Kimmel's remarks, telling reporters on Capitol Hill, "It was a personal attack and I can't help that."

 

Graham blasted the comedian.

 

"I bet he looked at some liberal talking point, bought it hook, line and sinker, and went after Bill Cassidy without talking to him. And I think that's unfair," Graham said on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" show.

 

Cassidy said his proposal would protect people who are already ill, although it does let states waive an Obamacare mandate that insurers cannot charge people who have pre-existing medical conditions more than those who are healthy.

 

"There is a specific provision that says that if a state applies for a waiver, it must ensure that those with pre-existing conditions have affordable and adequate coverage," Cassidy told CNN.

 

Trump, in a tweet late on Wednesday, said he would not sign the bill if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. "It does! A great bill," Trump said.

 

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Eric Walsh, Justin Mitchell, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Roberta Rampton; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-21

[darksidedog]

[ilostmypassword]

Vox interviewed 9 Republican Senators who supported this bill. And they virtually all justified one reason for supporting it: states know their own health care system best so they are returning control to the states. Except that one provision of the bill absolutely prohibits states from setting up a single payer system. 

[hawker9000]

If Obama and that loon Jimmy Kimmel are panning it, then it must be worthwhile.  Pass it!

 

[Jonnapat]

3 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

If Obama and that loon Jimmy Kimmel are panning it, then it must be worthwhile.  Pass it!

 

Really shameful comment I must say

[Scott]

Off-topic, deflection and reply have been removed.  

[Slip]

10 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

If Obama and that loon Jimmy Kimmel are panning it, then it must be worthwhile.  Pass it!

 

ad hominem.

[ilostmypassword]

The latest is that as a bribe to Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the new bill will allow Alaska to keep Obamacare just as it is. Because, you know, it's so terrible. How's that going to play in the rest of the states when the uninsured rate skyrockets while Alaska (and Hawaii) get to keep Obamacare intact?

[Slip]

Just now, ilostmypassword said:

The latest is that as a bribe to Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the new bill will allow Alaska to keep Obamacare just as it is. Because, you know, it's so terrible. How's that going to play in the rest of the states when the uninsured rate skyrockets while Alaska (and Hawaii) get to keep Obamacare intact?

I really wondered about this.  Do you (and other posters) believe that she will take a principled approach or will sell out/ do the job to which she was elected by Alaskans? (depending on your political leanings).  It's a pretty despicable stunt by Trump which could well backfire, but certainly pragmatic in the short run.  It's amazing that he will take this sort of risk just to exact revenge on Obama's legacy.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, Slip said:

I really wondered about this.  Do you (and other posters) believe that she will take a principled approach or will sell out/ do the job to which she was elected by Alaskans? (depending on your political leanings).  It's a pretty despicable stunt by Trump which could well backfire, but certainly pragmatic in the short run.  It's amazing that he will take this sort of risk just to exact revenge on Obama's legacy.

Well, she's actively negotiating with the Republican leaders presumably to keep Obamacare. It's not like she's been ignoring them and their offer just came spontaneously from them. Also, they tacked on Democratic Hawaii so as to provide plausible deniability of partisanship.

[Skywalker69]

McCain Announces Opposition to Republican Health Bill, Likely Dooming Its Fate

 

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain of Arizona announced on Friday that he would oppose the latest proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, leaving Republican leaders with little hope of succeeding in their last-ditch attempt to dismantle the health law.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/us/politics/mccain-graham-cassidy-health-care.html?emc=edit_na_20170922&nl=breaking-news&nlid=76310506&ref=cta

[Jingthing]

Thank you, John McCain.

Again.

[pegman]

3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

The latest is that as a bribe to Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the new bill will allow Alaska to keep Obamacare just as it is. Because, you know, it's so terrible. How's that going to play in the rest of the states when the uninsured rate skyrockets while Alaska (and Hawaii) get to keep Obamacare intact?

It seems to me the same was done to get O'care passed. It's how things are done there. 

[sirineou]

6 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

The latest is that as a bribe to Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the new bill will allow Alaska to keep Obamacare just as it is. Because, you know, it's so terrible. How's that going to play in the rest of the states when the uninsured rate skyrockets while Alaska (and Hawaii) get to keep Obamacare intact?

Murkowski is no fool. she is well aware of the divide  and  conquer technique.. She is simply giving Trump all the rope he needs to hung himself.

I would be surprised if she took such a deal, aside from becoming a pariah  within the Democratic party, what's to guarantee her that Trump will not renege on the deal. 

[ilostmypassword]

10 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Murkowski is no fool. she is well aware of the divide  and  conquer technique.. She is simply giving Trump all the rope he needs to hung himself.

I would be surprised if she took such a deal, aside from becoming a pariah  within the Democratic party, what's to guarantee her that Trump will not renege on the deal. 

She's not a Democrat.

[sirineou]

Just now, ilostmypassword said:

She's not a Democrat.

 Good point

She should be 

 

[sirineou]

4 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

She's not a Democrat.

Ment to say "Republican" a freudian slip on my part 

I guess i got to get some sleep, First a skype call from the US 1 am then a phone call on my cell also from the US at 3 am after that could not go back to sleep . Must remember to turn the sound of on my laptop and cell phone before I go to sleep. 

[Credo]

It would appear to be going down.   John McCain has again announced he will not support the bill.  

 

These are the situations where a good, strong non-egotistical president would be needed.   He has offended almost everyone.   If he can't even get his own party behind him, what chance do you think he has on the international stage?

 

Kudos to McCain for once again putting people before politics.   

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-lashes-gop-opponents-health-care-bill-110647029--politics.html

[selftaopath]

7 hours ago, Slip said:

I really wondered about this.  Do you (and other posters) believe that she will take a principled approach or will sell out/ do the job to which she was elected by Alaskans? (depending on your political leanings).  It's a pretty despicable stunt by Trump which could well backfire, but certainly pragmatic in the short run.  It's amazing that he will take this sort of risk just to exact revenge on Obama's legacy.

I wouldn't be surprised that 45 know absolutely NOTHING that's in this bill. All he wants is to destroy EVERYTHING his black predecessor did. He's clearly a racist. Such a ignorant man he is. 

[mrwebb8825]

10 hours ago, selftaopath said:

I wouldn't be surprised that 45 know absolutely NOTHING that's in this bill. All he wants is to destroy EVERYTHING his black predecessor did. He's clearly a racist. Such a ignorant man he is. 

and I'd be even less surprised that you know absolutely nothing about what's in this bill but never the less, dive right off the trump hater cliff with the other sheeple.

[mrwebb8825]

10 hours ago, Credo said:

It would appear to be going down.   John McCain has again announced he will not support the bill.  

 

These are the situations where a good, strong non-egotistical president would be needed.   He has offended almost everyone.   If he can't even get his own party behind him, what chance do you think he has on the international stage?

 

Kudos to McCain for once again putting people before politics.   

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-lashes-gop-opponents-health-care-bill-110647029--politics.html

shouldn't grandpa be back home getting his chemotherapy? Thank god he'll be gone soon.

[iReason]

[Jingthing]

36 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

shouldn't grandpa be back home getting his chemotherapy? Thank god he'll be gone soon.

That is an extremely sick post.

Shame on you.

Back to talking to civilized people, there has been speculation that McCain's illness has impacted his compassion level regarding millions of other Americans losing access to health care.

He knows he can afford everything possible but that doesn't mean all or most Americans can -- pre-ACA, status quo ACA (which trump is aggressively degrading many ways), but even worse if this current bill passes. 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Jingthing

[mrwebb8825]

Just now, Jingthing said:

That is an extremely sick post.

Shame on you.

Back to talking to civilized people, there has been speculation that McCain's illness has impacted his compassion level regarding millions of other Americans losing access to health care.

He knows he can afford everything possible but that doesn't mean all or most Americans can -- pre-ACA, status quo ACA (which trump is aggressively degrading many ways), but even worse if this current bill passes. 

He doesn't need to afford to pay for anything. He's a senator which means all or most of Americans will be paying for his health care til he dies even when we can't pay for our own. But instead of getting onboard and helping, all he's doing is hindering. Obamacare is a train wreck and he's trying to keep all the passengers onboard til it crashes. 

[Slip]

Isn't one of the problems with this bill that no one really knows what is in it, including the people who are supposed to be voting on it?

[Jingthing]

15 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

He doesn't need to afford to pay for anything. He's a senator which means all or most of Americans will be paying for his health care til he dies even when we can't pay for our own. But instead of getting onboard and helping, all he's doing is hindering. Obamacare is a train wreck and he's trying to keep all the passengers onboard til it crashes. 

ACA is totally fixable but trump (who I see now as a mass murderer) is intentionally and aggressively effecting actions and policies to hurt it, not help it. He's doing that without actually getting it repealed. 

 

 A cockroach has more morality than so called president trump. 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Jingthing

[ilostmypassword]

16 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

He doesn't need to afford to pay for anything. He's a senator which means all or most of Americans will be paying for his health care til he dies even when we can't pay for our own. But instead of getting onboard and helping, all he's doing is hindering. Obamacare is a train wreck and he's trying to keep all the passengers onboard til it crashes. 

It's so bad that the Republican leadership tried to persuade Lisa Murkowski to support their bill by allowing Alaska to keep Obamacare.

[Skywalker69]

2 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

It's so bad that the Republican leadership tried to persuade Lisa Murkowski to support their bill by allowing Alaska to keep Obamacare.

And so can Hawaii!

 

http://theweek.com/speedreads/726094/new-draft-republican-healthcare-bill-reportedly-let-alaska-hawaii-keep-obamacare

[YetAnother]

On 9/21/2017 at 9:46 AM, webfact said:

In a speech in New York, Obama defended the Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare, which expanded medical insurance to 20 million Americans.

i seem to recall this fiasco legislation Lost 24 million ; at the minimum, increased already super high health premiums there

[iReason]