The latest revision on the AHCA

New tax break for Insurance Co Executive pay >$500,000. Way to go, AHCA!!

www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-obamacare-ceos-20170307-story.html

"Concealed within the 123 pages of legislative verbiage and dense boilerplate of the House Republican bill repealing the Affordable Care Act are not a few hard-to-find nuggets. Here’s one crying out for exposure: The bill encourages health insurance companies to pay their top executives more....

It does so by removing the ACA’s (i.e., Obamacare!) limit on corporate tax deductions for executive pay. "

I can't either (full disclosure: I'm a legal 'resident alien' from Canada who lives in the US), but according to my husband's cousin: "You can have whatever you want, just don't expect ME TO PAY FOR IT!" 

That's a verbatim quote when we stumbled upon the newest iterations of the health care bills and potential changes in education (again, full disclosure--I'm a teacher who is very against what Betsy DeVos wants to do). 

I seriously don't understand his pov...and he doesn't understand mine. For me, there are certain things that every citizen on the planet should have: health care and education are just two. 

There is a broad and unapologetic condemnation of the poor in our country. If the poor want health care, they will find a way to get it; otherwise, they deserve what they (don't) get.

And the GOP is "pro-life" (bs!) until that life needs expensive medical care.

Care for the fetus, not the child.

Have a premie? Medical bankruptcy for you!!!

www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a27858/senate-republicans-insurance-bill-harms-children/

"In September 2010, a new provision of the Affordable Care Act banned health insurance plans from applying lifetime limits on essential care. Layla was born in August. And so it was just sheer luck that our health insurance at the time did not have a lifetime cap. If it had, Layla would have blown through that ceiling in the first weeks of her life—we would have gone bankrupt trying to save her.

Care for a premature baby can cost literally millions of dollars, and before the ACA, it wasn't uncommon for families with preemies to end up financially devastated. In the new bill, the text of which was just released today, that lifetime cap comes back. I've always wondered how it is that Republicans who call themselves pro-life could support financial ruin for parents who simply want to keep their babies alive."

And let's not overlook the fact that the poor are overwhelmingly likely to be brown or black in our country.  There's a bit of racism mixed up in there, too. 

Two things that did stand out to me was the plan allows kids to stay on their parents' plans until 26--a good thing.

BUT, I also heard it would increase the amount seniors need to pay in? WTF. (Maybe that was for Medicare, and I misspoke).

I clicked on p 2, saw this image, and immediately started crying. I would love to punch McConnell in the face. I work in a children's hospital and hear stories all the time of kids w/ complex medical conditions who are getting care due to Medicaid (which doesn't cover everything either). I sat in a meeting with all the division heads of the hospital. NO ONE THINKS THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. Kids will suffer. They don't care.

Please call your senators, even in blue states. If you're in IL, call Gov. Rauner and ask him to speak out publicly about Medicaid cuts. IL is circling the drain and won't be able to cover the costs. They need to hear our voices. If you're phone phobic, it takes just 15 seconds. Or tweet & send emails. They need to hear the opposition.
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I know Rauner probably won't act, but we have to make our voices heard. I just called again.
Encourage your friends in other key states to call their Senators. Heller in NV was key. Keep pressure on the others.

Here are some others:

- The following Senators are wavering and need to be flooded with contacts:

1. Heller is the most important (Nevada) - check!
2. Collins (Maine)
3. Murkowski (Alaska)
4. Capito (West Virginia)
5. Cassidy (Louisiana)
6. Flake (Arizona)
7. Gardner (Colorado)
8. Portman (Ohio)
9. Cruz (Texas) (yes, that Cruz - he's facing a tough reelection battle) - check!
10. Paul (Kentucky) - check!
11. Lee (Utah) - check!
12. Sasse (Nebraska)

Germany's health insurance is private but non-profit and it's mandatory to have health insurance. Plus your employer is required to a percentage of the premium.

The Medicaid cuts are both a roll back of the expansion and a straight cut of funding to Medicaid of billions. Currently Medicaid is funded by a combination of federal and state monies by percentages e.g. The state is responsible for x% of Medicaid spending and the federal government funds y% of Medicaid spending. The current senate bill would give states a finite chunk of block funding and when that money is gone it's gone regardless of the actual medical expenses that need paid. If your interested in some more nuanced discussion NPR has had aome good programming. These monies are going to tax breaks to medical device manufacturers and insurance ceos among others. The GOP is also planning on using these "savings" to finance their tax cuts for their trickle down economics.

It is ironic that it took Republicans and Trump to actually make the ACA popular. I hope this AHCA will be the Republicans Waterloo. They have done LITERALLY everything they accused the Democrats of doing when the ACA was passed: bill written in secrecy, check; no public hearings, check; etc. McConnell is the biggest fucking hypocrite and may honestly be more responsible for tearing apart this country and our government than Trump. He is the epitome of "Party over Country" and I find that personally disgusting.

How do they handle the unemployed and those who can't afford health insurance?  Is there more than one private/non-profit insurance company?