In The News Today...

Yeah. Vote to start the process, not vote to repeal. Also, put pressure on the house, because suddenly they need to be pressured.

Those are different from what they did when Obama was president.

Quote: Dalex64

Politics as usual -

The Republicans attempted to repeal or undercut the ACA about 50 times while Obama was president, with no replacement plan in place.

Now, he won't be there to veto the bill, and suddenly several Republican senators don't want to repeal it without a replacement plan.

So all of the time wasting they did trying to pass something that was doomed to be vetoed, to make some sort of a point and help themselves get reelected, ends up being empty gestures that they didn't really want to have happen anyway.

I totally agree
The attempt to repeal or undercut 50 times was just for show
Now its real and repubs are backing off lol

I don't understand how some replacement will be cheaper
Seems the major contention is pre existing medical issues
These people with a pre existing condition are very expensive to insurance companies
How do these people still get reasonable priced coverage under the new republican plan?
Or is the republican is to screw them to keep costs low?

Quote: terapined

I totally agree
The attempt to repeal or undercut 50 times was just for show
Now its real and repubs are backing off lol

I don't understand how some replacement will be cheaper
Seems the major contention is pre existing medical issues
These people with a pre existing condition are very expensive to insurance companies
How do these people still get reasonable priced coverage under the new republican plan?
Or is the republican is to screw them to keep costs low?

A good first step would be to quit making people buy things they don't want or need. My policy would surely be cheaper without maternity coverage I will never use and substance abuse coverage I do not want. Plenty of folk will surely prefer a more bare bones plan but with a HSA component.

Best part for the GOP is Obamacare is such a disaster there are many easy improvements.

Quote: terapined

I don't understand how some replacement will be cheaper
Seems the major contention is pre existing medical issues
These people with a pre existing condition are very expensive to insurance companies
How do these people still get reasonable priced coverage under the new republican plan?
Or is the republican is to screw them to keep costs low?

The thing about forcing insurers to provide coverage for pre-existing conditions, is that you then have to force everyone to get insurance or the industry collapses. This is very simple to illustrate. If you could pay for insurance only when you are sick, why would you pay for it when you're not? If only people who are sick pay insurance premiums, these will either be in the tens of thousands of dollars, or at zero because no company will offer medical insurance.

One really big problem is that the vast majority of people get insurance through their employer. This is a matter of the tax code and custom. The tax code could be rewritten so employers pay, as a benefit, for your insurance, but it's yours and not the company's. So when you switch jobs for any reason, you can keep it as long as you can pay for it, and your next employer would pick up the bill once you find work.

The problem with this is it robs companies the ability to offer a variety of plans. Eventually all company-paid insurance will reach a common lower denominator.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that "The Market Has Already Started to Dump Trump"

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-market-has-already-started-to-dump-trump-1484238205?mod=e2fb

Trump bubble bursting, reality setting in, something. I don't really have a better spin than what is in the article.

It isn't talked about in this article, but there are also workforce reductions going on at Sears, Kmart, Macy's, HP.
There was another one I was trying to remember, but the site with the article I wanted is down right now.

Quote: Dalex64

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that "The Market Has Already Started to Dump Trump"

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-market-has-already-started-to-dump-trump-1484238205?mod=e2fb

Trump bubble bursting, reality setting in, something. I don't really have a better spin than what is in the article.

It isn't talked about in this article, but there are also workforce reductions going on at Sears, Kmart, Macy's, HP.
There was another one I was trying to remember, but the site with the article I wanted is down right now.

Sears/Kmart and to a lesser extent Macy's are dead. Someone should tell the patient. Run bear call spreads and ride them to $0.

Found it, the other one I wanted to mention was Dell/EMC.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are proposing a new tax called the Border Adjustability Tax.

Ouch, the GOP is setting a nasty trap for Trump to fall into.

Quote: AZDuffman

A good first step would be to quit making people buy things they don't want or need. My policy would surely be cheaper without maternity coverage .

And the only way to cover the cost is to increase women's premiums. Once the idea got well circulated, that idea will be dead. Women outnumber men, and they won't want to pay more. You think Republican women will be in favor of it? Why would they? Got even one good reason?

Quote: reno

Republicans in the House of Representatives are proposing a new tax called the Border Adjustability Tax.

Ouch, the GOP is setting a nasty trap for Trump to fall into.

I don't think Congress can impose a tariff that way constitutionally. It violates a number of trade treaties.

Not to mention this kind of protectionism will hurt the economy in the short run, with higher prices, and in the long run with lower exports. Or does the GOP think the world will stand passively by faced with such naked aggression?