Boehnercare: No Soup For You
It looks like Republicans are getting ready to shift from having no plan for reforming health care to having a plan that won’t do anything:
Over the weekend, Boehner said the GOP bill’s aim was to lower healthcare costs, but not to provide healthcare to all.
On Monday, he promised the bill would not raise taxes and remain deficit neutral. He also said it would not cut benefits for seniors on Medicare.
Under the GOP plan, insurance companies will not be banned from denying individuals coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions however. Instead, those with preexisting conditions would become part of a “high-risk” pool of individuals to be insured, Boehner explained.
If you’re uninsured, this won’t help you.
If you’re insured, but you worry that circumstances beyond your control—a global financial meltdown leading to layoffs at your company, say—this won’t help you.
If you’re insured, but you worry that if you get sick your insurer will gin up some pretext to drop your coverage, this won’t help you.
If you’re insured but your premiums are escalating so fast you worry that you won’t be able to afford to keep paying them, this won’t help you.
Instead, Boehner is proposing the de facto total deregulation of the health insurance industry. Starting with the accurate observation that it’s odd to have insurance regulated fifty different ways in fifty states, the GOP decided not to do the sensible thing and create uniform federal regulation, but instead to let insurers sell plans across state lines. In other words, there’ll be a race to the bottom and all insurance will soon be offered under the rules of whichever state is laxest in its rules—goodbye consumer protections!
The result of all this will be a situation in which the health insurance systems works better for people who don’t need health care services, and much worse for people who actually are sick or who become sick in the future. It’s basically a health un-insurance policy.
39 Responses to “Boehnercare: No Soup For You”
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November 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
It’s basically a health un-insurance policy.
It’s also basically DOA, so whatever.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
I wonder what Douglas Holtz Eakin thinks?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
The only purpose this serves is as a reminder of how terrible of policy the Republicans are capable of coming up with. This one is definitely a dark comedy.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:23 am
So basically, their plan is for you to not get sick, and if you do, die quickly?
I think I’ve heard this one before.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:35 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’re not serious about covering everybody, you’re not serious about keeping costs down.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:35 am
Instead of not getting insurance individually, they can not get insurance as a group. Sure a group is less risky than an individual, but high-risk is still high-risk, so there’s very little incentive to insure these people. Not without charging them a house payment at least.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am
You’d think, given how this is all for show, and how Alan Grayson’s portrayal so offended them, that the GOP would come up with something other than “don’t get sick — and if you do, die quickly.”
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
Instead, those with preexisting conditions would become part of a “high-risk” pool of individuals to be insured, Boehner explained.
They are essentially treating medical insurance as car insurance. In car insurance, we have (somewhat) well-defined notions of fault and liability. High risk means that you are more likely to be at fault, and so we can penalize you, in the hopes that you will become a less high-risk driver. You have higher premiums, and maybe have worse insurance coverage — until you become a better driver.
This is not how medical insurance works.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 am
As soon as the Republicans come out with this plan the Democrats need to attack this point to the exclusion of all others: The Republicans want total deregulation of the health insurance industry. They want to do to healthcare what they did to the financial industry.
There are three reasons to focus on this issue, rather than any other.
First, the media loves an analogy. Convince them this can be linked to the deregulation of the financial industry and you convince them the Republican plan is radioactive.
Second, Republicans will claim that their plan insures more people regardless of what it actually does. That’s just “he said/she said”. Shut up about it and wait for the CBO numbers.
Third, the “let insurance companies sell across state lines” talking point really works. It confuses the issue and forces the opponent explain that what it REALLY means is defacto-deregulation. When you’re explaining, you’re losing. Don’t let them get those words out of their mouths; hit them with the deregulation argument first and force THEM to explain their position.
Democrat: The Republican plan would deregulate the entire health insurance industry. They want to do to healthcare what they did with Wall Street.
Republican: No, we just want to encourage competiton by letting Americans buy health insurance across state lines.
Democrat: Americans can already buy health insurance across state lines–Blue Cross sells insurance all over the country. What you want to do is to let all the big insurance companies set up a mailbox in Wyoming so the don’t have to follow the rules in California or Texas or Florida or any other state.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 am
A touch off-topic, yes, but is he wearing eyeliner?
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
I think he’s wearing a LOT of eyeliner. I also think his photo’s been heavily photoshopped. Look at the curl-up in his lips.
He looks like the coquettish, gentler john boehner.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Her eyeliner looks terrible!
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:10 am
I think this is the best thing that could have happened for the Dem’s plan. Show people the alternative.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 am
A touch off-topic, yes, but is he wearing eyeliner?
Please, the term of art is “guyliner”.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
He is wearing eye liner. And a ton of makeup. When did the Republicans turn emo?
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:31 am
“I think this is the best thing that could have happened for the Dem’s plan. Show people the alternative.”
While I was hedging yesterday, I’m back to agreeing with this.
So long as the Republicans offered nothing, the choice was sorta “A flawed Dem Bill*, or nothing”- and there IS a rational argument that “nothing” is better, especially when couched in the “Slow down, start over” terms that Republicans were using.
But now, the choice is “a flawed Dem plan vs. a flawed Republican plan”- so the Republicans have to hope that theirs isn’t more flawed. Otherwise, they’ve conceded “slow down, start over”, and the lesser-of-two-evils idea will kick in.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
I’m almost convinced the current GOP leaders are really liberals who are pretending to be conservatives for the purpose of proposing obviously bad ideas that will alienate most of the country.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
But of course, it’s totally unfair to say the Republican’s plan is for you to not get sick, and die quick if you do. It’s really, don’t get sick, pay LOTS OF MONEY, and die quick if you CAN’T AFFORD IT. Very important to include that distinction.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Instead, Boehner is proposing the de facto total deregulation of the health insurance industry…. In other words, there’ll be a race to the bottom and all insurance will soon be offered under the rules of whichever state is laxest in its rules—goodbye consumer protections!
That’s a bad thing?
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’ve never been able to live in Mississippi, but soon I’ll have a body that says I do!
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
This can’t be all that there is to their plan. Where is huge giveaway of taxpayer money to the health insurance corporations? Its got to be in there somewhere.
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Idiots like Boehner keep trying to convince us that government-run healthcare will result in rationing and high taxes. I don’t think they realize we are sitting in our living rooms listening to those arguments and we’re either rolling our eyes or throwing shit at the T.V. And we’re not all liberals, either.
I truly believe these guys aren’t doing themselves any favors. People will remember—or will be reminded by others—who was on the wrong side of this issue.
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I actually support this plan. It’s so bad, it’s the quickest way to single-payer.
(BTW, what’s a high risk pool? Is that a public plan full of really bad insurance risks?)
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Shoving you into the high risk pool is equivalent to saying “go jump in the lake.”
I’m sure they have a tax cut for the wealthy hiding somewhere in there too.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Beat me to it.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
[...] After many months of not having a health care reform plan, the House Republicans have unveiled a plan for the de facto total deregulation of the health insurance industry. [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Someone needs to point out publicly that John Boehner wants to kill more Americans than Osama bin Laden yet has. Perhaps a TV ad that morphs Boehner’s face into bin Laden’s to make the point.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Re: In other words, there’ll be a race to the bottom and all insurance will soon be offered under the rules of whichever state is laxest in its rules—goodbye consumer protections!
That’s not necessarily the case. Auto insurance can be sold across state lines but any such policy must conform to the state’s laws where it is sold. I purchased auto insurance from an agent in Ohio, and from a company located in New York, when I lived in Michigan. Both policies were nevertheless Michigan No-Fault auto insurance policies, not Ohio or New York policies. To be sure the GOP may sneak into something in that would invalidate state regulation of insurance, but just because you are buying from a company or agent out of state does not mean that this would have to be true. The Democrats should go along with the basic concept, but insist on including a provision that requires policies sold from out of state to adhere to the regulations of the state where the insured lives. If the GOP is serious about just wanting more competitition they would go along without complaint. Though nore likely they would balk because they are really trying to eliminate state regulation of insurance. (Gee, and I remember when federalism was a hallowed conservative value).
Re: Sure a group is less risky than an individual, but high-risk is still high-risk, so there’s very little incentive to insure these people.
I suspect that insurers would be forced to take on a certain number of high risk people, as auto insurers are forced to take on drivers from the high risk group. Of course nothing would stop them from making their policies unaffordable.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Of course he’s been photoshopped! He’s not his usual pleasant shade of orange.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 pm
[...] Matthew Yglesias » Boehnercare: No Soup For You – It’s the quintessential GOP proposal — solve the problem of an abusive, profit-driven (and quite wealthy) industry by deregulating it. Brilliant! [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
[...] if you don’t like clicking, here’s a money quote from a third analyst: “f you’re uninsured, this won’t help [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
[...] breaks it down thusly. If you’re uninsured, this won’t help [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Here’s an idea. Pay for your own damn healthcare and don’t rely on the government or your neighbors to carry the water for your sorry ass your entire life. Two words: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
November 4th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Indeed, JonF @ 28… That is exactly what they did. State regulations don’t apply unless they’re from the state the insurance company chose.
What a wonderful plan. You will have laws you have no access to, no representation for, and cannot vote to change, apply to you! Yep.
And your state’s law? Cannot apply, because the Republicans said so.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Here’s an idea. Pay for your own damn healthcare and don’t rely on the government or your neighbors to carry the water for your sorry ass your entire life. Two words: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Given the potential costs of health care, what you’re saying is pretty much equivalent to “don’t get (too) sick and, if you do, die quickly”.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Here’s an idea – why don’t you actually read something about the issue instead of acting like the typical Republitard Internet Troll? You know, “reading”, that thing people with more intelligence than their farm animals do.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Re: Here’s an idea. Pay for your own damn healthcare and don’t rely on the government or your neighbors to carry the water for your sorry ass your entire life.
Here’s another idea: Pay for your own defense from foreign powers and domestic criminals. Don’t depend on the government to do it for you. Personal responsibility! Govermment should never do anything for ordinary people. It’s just a tool for the rich and powerful to become more rich and powerful.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I thought we paid taxes in general for the government to provide us services? If the response is they don’t supply an adequate service why would we want to increase our taxes for them to provide more services? Which is proven to slow economic growth (being we are in a depression/recession) for something were going to get little benefit out of?
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/11/03/calgary-flames-h1n1-swine-flu-shot.html
November 5th, 2009 at 10:46 am
[...] Congressional Budget Office has released its initial estimate of the House GOP’s health care alternative, centered on the near-total deregulation of the health insurance [...]