Why did only one Republican vote against Medicare?
Mar 22, 2021 · Yes, Republicans had already voted to repeal “Obamacare” several times. But, she knew, they had never done so with real-world consequences, because Obama’s veto had always stood in the way.
Does the Senate Republicans’ plan end Social Security and Medicare?
Apr 08, 2022 · A television ad produced by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee claims that Republicans in the U.S. Senate are planning to end Social Security and Medicare. PolitiFact checks the claim.
Why do GOP leaders want to repeal Obamacare?
Jan 17, 2017 · First, the Affordable Care Act (aka the ACA or Obamacare) has largely succeeded not failed, as president-elect Trump and other Republicans falsely allege. Second, it is …
Which Republican senators are opposing Obamacare repeal?
This poll was taken a week after Senator McConnell said the Republicans would defend the tax cuts and cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to curb the growing deficit, caused in ...
Why can't Republicans overhaul the health law?
Here are some of the reasons: 1. It's hard to take things away from people. Once launched , federal programs that provide people with benefits they find important and valuable are very difficult to rescind . In the case of health care, people's ...
Who was the president before the Affordable Care Act?
Even before the Affordable Care Act, many had served in Congress for decades and learned from the mistakes that were made on efforts like the failed health bill under President Bill Clinton. 5. Some parts of the ACA really are popular, even among Republicans.
What is Kaiser Health News?
A gap that, so far, Republicans have been unable to bridge. Rachel Bluth contributed to this story. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Did Trump say repeal and replace?
It was his original insistence that "repeal and replace" happen simultaneously that moved Congress away from its 2015 strategy of repealing first and replacing later. He hosted a celebration in the White House Rose Garden when the House passed its bill, then subsequently called the measure "mean" during a strategy meeting with Senators.
Did the GOP have the votes to pass the healthcare bill?
Senate Majority Leader announces the GOP did not have the votes to pass the healthcare bill on Tuesday. Photo via Twitter. Seven years of Republican vows to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act came to a crashing halt Tuesday, when it became clear that the Senate could not muster the necessary votes for any of three separate proposals ...
Who said "neither policy nor bully pulpit help at crunch time"?
The president "gave them an impossible assignment with his promises (more, better, cheaper for all) and neither policy nor bully pulpit help at crunch time," said Len Nichols, a professor of health policy at George Mason University. "And now he'll blame them for failing.".
Is health care a priority for Republicans?
Health care has not traditionally been a major voting issue for Republicans, and thus it has been a low priority -- compared with issues like taxes and trade -- for the officials they elect.
Why did the Affordable Care Act fail?
Here is a flat-footed prediction: the effort will fail for three reasons. First, the Affordable Care Act (aka the ACA or Obamacare) has largely succeeded not failed, as president-elect Trump and other Republicans falsely allege. Second, it is impossible for the stated goals of repeal to be achieved. Finally, the political fallout ...
Who said we don't want anyone who has insurance to have insurance?
President-elect Trump says that he will only accept a “policy that will broaden health care access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.” Designated White House Counselor, Kellyanne Conway says “We don’t want anyone who currently has insurance not to have insurance.”
Is Obamacare a success?
First, let’s review the facts on Obamacare’s success. Tens of millions of people are newly insured. Even so, and whatever the reason, health care spending is better controlled than it has been for decades. Enrollments in the ACA’s health marketplaces in 2017 are up. Insurance companies, who raised premiums this year, are expected to make money for the foreseeable future and continue to sell insurance in those market places. These facts contradict the claims of president-elect Trump and other Republicans that the marketplaces will collapse. More and more states, including some with Republican governors, are opting to expand Medicaid eligibility as authorized by the law. Quality indicators are improving. Those facts spell success, not failure.
Who voted against Medicare?
When Medicare was first being considered Senate Republican Robert Dole (then in the House) voted against it. Also in opposition to Medicare, in a famous 1964 speech, Ronald Reagan explained that his opposition to Social Security and Medicare is why he switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
Why did McConnell say the Republicans would defend the tax cuts?
This poll was taken a week after Senator McConnell said the Republicans would defend the tax cuts and cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to curb the growing deficit, caused in significant part by those very tax cuts. The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security.
What percentage of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican tax cuts?
A poll one week before the election about Republican social and economic policy is a red flag for Republicans. 60% of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican 2017 tax cuts than cut spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Which party is opposed to Social Security?
The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security. Economic historian Max Skidmore shows that the final vote for Social Security was lopsided--only 2% of Democrats voted against it (because it wasn't generous enough) while 33% of Republicans voted against Social Security.
Who is calling for cuts to Social Security?
Not only is President Trump arguing with leading Republican Paul Ryan, about the Constitution, but the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate – Senator Mitch McConnell -- has called for cuts to Social Security. That is strange politics because Social Security is the most popular program in America, especially among the voters who are growing the fastest and who vote the most – people over 65.
Is Social Security a fiscal discipline?
Social Security is one of the few government programs with built-in fiscal discipline. Bottom Line: Though Senator McConnell may not have meant to publicize the Republican agenda to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the long history of Republican opposition may be an example of what Sigmund Freud and modern psychologists believe--a slip ...
Who is the highest ranking Republican in the Senate?
Not only is President Trump arguing with leading Republican Paul Ryan, about the Constitution, but the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate – Senator Mitch McConnell -- has called for cuts to Social Security.
What are the good things about Republicans?
Republicans are good at criticizing and not good at actually achieving anything that will help the People. They ran on fixing immigration, getting more jobs, providing health care to all Americans cheaper than the ACA. They can’t deliver on any of it. All hat and no cattle.
Was the ACA a revolutionary experiment?
This was not entirely unexpected. The ACA is not any revolutionary experiment, it is a proven, sensible, middle-of-the-road compromise that has been, in one form or another, implemented by a number of countries already. The American blueprint for it was the health care reform in the state of Massachusetts, developed and implemented by the Republican majority under governor Mitt Romney.
Who is the Republican who slashed Social Security?
Robert Reich explains the longtime Republican plan to slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
What do Paul Ryan and Republicans want to do?
Paul Ryan and Republicans want to give tax breaks to the rich and make the middle class & the poor pay for those tax breaks by increasing their taxes AND cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
How many people would lose health insurance?
Lawrence O’Donnell talks to Ezra Klein about the “catastrophic” CBO report – which estimates 22 million people would lose health care coverage – and GOP Rep. David Jolly shares his personal story of what happened when he found himself unemployed and uninsured. (June 26, 2017)
Did the Senate GOP draft a secret health care bill?
Senate GOP drafted a secret, partisan health care bill behind closed doors, refusing any meaningful bipartisan input on the bill and refusing to hold any hearings on this legislation that would impact one sixth of our economy. Senate Democrats today urged the GOP to reverse course on this tactic and release to the public the legislation that would impact the health and bottom lines of millions of Americans. (Jun 13, 2017)
Will Trump cut Medicare?
Despite Trump’s promises NOT to cut Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security, that is exactly what he intends to do IF he is re-elected in 2020.
Did Democrats succeed in keeping the benefit cuts out of the short term fiscal cliff?
Democrats in Congress succeeded in keeping these devastating benefit cuts out of the short-term “fiscal cliff” deal. Unfortunately, important leverage was also lost. Washington’s well-financed anti-entitlement lobby continues to pretend that “shared sacrifice” means that if a millionaire loses a tax break (which he or she doesn’t need and America can’t afford) then the middle-class and poor must also pay more for or risk losing their health care benefits in Medicare and Medicaid. [Source: http://ncpssm.org/EntitledtoKnow/entryid/1962/Cutting-Medicare-Medicaid-Social-Security-in-the-113th-Congress]
Do Republicans want to cut food stamps?
Republicans has no problem spending trillions of dollars on the military and wars, but they want to cut programs like food stamps, medicare, social security, etc which benefits regular Americans and the poor.
What would happen if the ACA was repealed?
For the bottom 60 percent of the population — that is, households earning less than about $67,000 a year — full repeal of the ACA would end up meaning an increase in taxes due to the loss of ACA tax credits. (Under the Republican bill Congress is considering, the tax credits aren’t totally eliminated — but they’re no longer designed to give the most money to the poorest Americans, so it’s likely that at least some of the poorest Americans would see their taxes go up.)
Why do Republicans want to pass the ACA?
But that’s not the reason that Republicans want to pass the bill. Republicans want to pass the bill to cut taxes. One of the main ways the ACA makes health insurance affordable is by providing families earning less than 400 percent of the poverty line (i.e., less than $85,000 for a family of three or less than $47,550 for a single person) ...
What are the problems with the Affordable Care Act?
Republicans have made a lot of political hay out of pointing out that the plans available under the Affordable Care Act are, in many ways, disappointing. Unsubsidized premiums are higher than people would like. Deductibles and copayments are higher than people would like. The networks of available doctors are narrower than people would like.
Why would Trump take away health insurance?
Taking away people’s health insurance is one way to create more budgetary space for additional tax cuts. But the same would be true of cutting spending on any program. Meanwhile, on the campaign trail Trump promised a $1 trillion infrastructure surge, an increase in military spending, no cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and a balanced budget. Something will need to give, but it’s by no means clear that zeroing in on the health care law will be the way to go. It will end up being one of many programs on which the government spends money to provide social services that Democrats generally want to make more generous and Republicans generally want to make stingier.
Did Obama find the money for the banana stand?
President Obama and the congressional Democrats who wrote the law didn’t find the money for those subsidies hidden in a banana stand — they did what Democrats like to do when paying for things and raised taxes on affluent families. Republicans do not like this idea.
Does the American Health Care Act fix the AHCA?
They are not, however, problems that the American Health Care Act actually fixes. While Republicans have made several changes to the AHCA to cobble together a majority of House votes, the core of the bill remains the same: it offers stingier insurance to a narrower group of people.
Why do Republicans hate Medicare?
Because Social Security and Medicare are government programs that work so well, the Republican elite — with its seemingly religious belief that the private sector is always the best — hates them . So obsessed are the Republicans in their desire to eliminate these effective government programs that the very first action that House Republicans took in the new Congress was to adopt a rules package that included a new rule that amounts to a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
What are the Republicans' obsessions with Medicare?
The Republican Obsession With Dismantling Social Security And Medicare. Today’s Republicans want to avoid political accountability by destroying Social Security and Medicare without leaving clear fingerprints. The Republicans are desperate to destroy Social Security and Medicare. These two programs demonstrate government at its best.
What is the Republican claim that they are simply seeking to save Social Security and Medicare?
Republican claims that they are simply seeking to save Social Security and Medicare is the same Orwellian language used during the Vietnam War, when a military officer claimed that a village had to be destroyed in order to save it. Similarly, when today’s Republicans talk of “saving” Social Security and Medicare, ...
Why don't Social Security and Medicare go through the appropriations process?
Social Security — the people’s pension — and Medicare — the first step toward universal health insurance for all — do not go through the appropriations process because, as monthly pension payments and medical insurance, they must pay what is owed, not what Congress chooses to spend. If Social Security and Medicare were subject to the whims of every Congress, they would be radically transformed. No one could count on the benefits they had earned. Presumably with that goal in mind, the new rules require the relevant committees to make “recommendations for changes to existing law for moving [unspecified} programs…from mandatory funding to discretionary appropriations, where appropriate.”
Why does Medicare not go through the appropriations process?
Social Security — the people’s pension — and Medicare — the first step toward universal health insurance for all — do not go through the appropriations process because, as monthly pension payments and medical insurance, they must pay what is owed, not what Congress chooses to spend. If Social Security and Medicare were subject to the whims ...
What are the two programs that Republicans want to destroy?
The Republicans are desperate to destroy Social Security and Medicare. These two programs demonstrate government at its best. The federal government runs these two extremely popular programs more efficiently, universally, securely, and effectively than the private sector does with its alternatives — or indeed could, ...
What would happen if the Democratic Party could draw a clear distinction on this vital issue?
If the Democratic Party can draw a clear distinction on this vital issue, it can create a powerful wedge between the Republican elites and their base. If the base catches on and realizes who truly represents their economic interests, the next four years, difficult as they are going to be, will be followed by important progress for many years to come.
Why did Trump ask the Supreme Court to revoke Obamacare?
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to revoke Obamacare because it's been an "unlawful failure.". A brief filed in June asked the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act, arguing it became invalid after Congress axed parts of it.
Why are Republicans opposed to the tax law?
Republicans have been opposed to the law since its inception, citing that the tax penalties or the individual mandate is unfair to taxpayers.
What did Nancy Pelosi say about the Affordable Care Act?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "President Trump and the Republicans’ campaign to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis is an act of unfathomable cruelty.
Is Obamacare unconstitutional?
In December 2018, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the repeal of this part of the law meant the entirety of Obamacare is therefore unconstitutional.
Who is not covered by the federal premium subsidy?
According to the provisions, people who earn just slightly too much to qualify for federal premium subsidies, particularly early retirees and people in their 50s and early 60s who are self-employed are not covered.
Does the replacement Medicaid plan roll back coverage?
The replacement would have rolled back Medicaid coverage and weakened protections for pre-existing conditions due to state waivers allowing insurers to charge people more for coverage on the basis of factors like health status.