GOP offers preemptive health plan

[Old Coot]

Source: Politico

Senate and House Republicans offered a health care reform bill Wednesday that aims for universal coverage, but takes a much different track than Democrats to get there.

In the first major alternative from congressional Republicans, the federal government
would raise money by taxing health care benefits for the first time and turn that revenue back to individuals through tax credits to purchase their own insurance.

There would be no new government-run insurance plan option and no mandates on individuals and employers to buy coverage — two proposals favored by many Democrats to expand access to health care.

The bill suggests, however, that Republicans might find conceptual agreement with Democrats in other areas. It would create heavily regulated state insurance exchanges where participating insurers would be required to offer a certain standard of benefits and people would be guaranteed coverage despite preexisting conditions. And it would create an auto-enrollment system in which people could sign up at DMVs and emergency rooms and through places of employment.




Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22770.html

[Warren Stupidity]

1. um, let me think about that a minute, ok...

FUCK THAT
FUCK THEM
NO FUCKING WAY

Hey Harry, are you listening? (stupid question.)

[bemildred]

2. Oh yeah, that will work.

We will tax your health benefits to pay for your health benefits.

[gmoney]

3. So, they're going to tax me, give it back, and that's a health plan?

WTF?

[Still Sensible]

4. In other words NO FUCKING PLAN at all! n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

5. Based on their history and philosophy...

I expect that a GOP preemptive health plan means they kill you now so that you can't have any health problems later.

[bluesmail]

6. Tax. Then tax. If that's not enough, there's always tax. eom

[KansDem]

7. Go after the 50,000 secret accounts of American tax-cheats in Switzerland's UBS Bank

and stop the GOP's invasion and occupation of Iraq at ($720 million) a day.

That should free up enough geld to fund a single-payer, government plan for health care...

[high density]

8. John McCain already floated that idea in the general election

We rejected that idea soundly.

[alstephenson]

9. And if you have no health care benefits to tax???

Tax credits - the GOP answer to everything.

[wryter2000]

10. That's McCain's plan

Go ahead and try taxing people on their health care benefits, morons. And then, lose every single vote in the US for the next century.

What a bunch of assholes.

[Xipe Totec]

11. Are they offering prescription drugs in Kool-Aid packets? n/t

[YewNork]

12. And they haven't presented this before because.....

Funny how they wait until the Democrats get set to reform health care before they decide to present their own reform plan.
Where were they for the past eight years?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Um, as a self-employed person I already get tax credits, as those

"pro-business" Republicans ought to know.

It helps only slightly, given that my insurer just told me that my premiums are going up $30 a month, despite the fact that I have never used up my deductible, so I'm going to be giving them an extra $360 a year for NOTHING.

Idiots.

[geckosfeet]

14. No wonder they are in the minority. Hopefully this will get the rest of them out of office.

This has to be one of the most moronic plans that have ever heard of.

It has to be a joke.

[santamargarita]

15. Who would trust anything that comes from a Goddamn Republican

I still remember their "Contract ON America":puke:

[Dappleganger]

16. Look, they bought new lipstick for their pig...

woopEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


:bounce:

[struggle4progress]

17. "Coming up next: Republicans say perpetual motion machine will make America energy independent"