| Today's Managing Health Care Costs Number is Zero |
Under cover of a metastasizing Russia scandal, news the Special Counsel is investigating the President for obstruction of justice, and the heinous gun attack on the Republican congressional baseball team practice, you'd almost never know that the Senate is poised to put the final nails in the coffin of ObamaCare.
There have been articles - and good ones - describing Mitch McConnell's strategy to pass a bill ("any bill") without telling the public anything about the bill. These include reporting by Sarah Kliff, Julie Rovner, an op ed by David Leonhardt.
Leonhardt also pointed out that the parties you'd think would be advocating tirelessly against the American Health Care Act, including the American Hospital Association, are strangely quiet. The AHA just asked the Trump Administration to scuttle the Medicare Stars program (rating hospital quality) and not require future meaningful use of electronic medical records. Perhaps there is a quid pro quo?
The New York Times posted an article about the secrecy of the Senate health care bill this afternoon. The authors recount the not-secret-at-all origins of the Affordable Care Act:
The Senate health committee approved its version in July 2009 after considering hundreds of amendments over 13 days. The Senate Finance Committee cleared its version in October 2009, after more than a year of hearings, round-table discussions and other spadework. A group of Democrats and Republicans from the Finance Committee met for months behind closed doors, trying — but ultimately failing — to draft bipartisan legislation.
The full Senate passed the Affordable Care Act on Dec. 24, 2009, on the 25th consecutive day of floor debate.
Sarah Kliff's headline: I’ve covered Obamacare since day one. I’ve never seen lying and obstruction like this.
Health care represents over 1/6 of the US economy. A party that got 3 million fewer votes in the Presidential election and lost House and Senate seats in the 2016 election is about to take health insurance away from 23 million people without a single hearing and without a Congressional Budget Office score.
It's easy to be deeply distressed.
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