Trumpcare Arrives, After 4 Years

“President Trump capped his fruitless four-year journey to abolish and replace the Affordable Care Act by signing an executive order Thursday that aims to enshrine the law’s most popular feature while pivoting away from a broader effort to overhaul the nation’s health insurance system.

The order declares it is the policy of the United States for people with preexisting health conditions to be protected, avoiding the thorny details of how to ensure such protections without either leaving the ACA, or Obamacare, in place or crafting new comprehensive legislation.

Trump announced the move during a trip to North Carolina, outlining his ‘vision’ for revamping parts of the nation’s health care. During the speech, which came shortly before a campaign swing to Florida, Trump barely veiled the political nature of his intent.”

— “After years of promising his own health care plan, Trump settles for rebranding rather than repealing Obamacare,” Toluse Olorunnipa, Washington Post

More:

“President Trump Finally Laid Out His Healthcare Plan. It Doesn’t Do Anything.” Paul McLeod, BuzzFeed News

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Health Care Fraudster Leads Trump Health Care Push

Florida Senator (and former Governor) Rick Scott is leading the charge to develop President Trump’s ObamaCare (ACA) replacement. Mr. Scott certainly has plenty of health care experience. He was President and CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital system when the corporation committed at least 14 federal felonies for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. The firm later admitted guilt and paid the government $1.7 billion in criminal fines, civil damages, and penalties.

Senator Scott is, without doubt, the ideal person to spearhead a Trump Administration health care initiative.

More:

“Rick Scott’s Company Committed Historic Medicare Fraud. He Will Now Lead Trump’s Health-Care Push.” Matt Stieb, New York Magazine

“Trump’s Choice of Rick Scott to Build a Republican Healthcare Plan Shows the Henhouse Is Full of Foxes,” Charles P. Pierce, Esquire

“The worst possible choice to craft a Senate health-care plan? Rick Scott.” Editorial, Orlando Sentinel

“Trump putting Rick Scott in charge of his healthcare push is a sick joke,” Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times

Updates:

Even Rick Scott won’t carry this hot potato for him, so President Trump now says he’ll run for re-election on a GOP Healthcare Plan to replace the ACA in 2020.

“Trump’s health care brain trust says no thanks,” Adam Cancryn and Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico

Related:

“Trump’s Health-Care Policy Goes From Misguided to Reckless,” Max Nisen, Bloomberg

“Trump just realized his mistake on health care. But it’s too late.” Paul Waldman, Washington Post

“Democrats welcome fight as Trump tees up 2020 healthcare battle,” Susan Heavey and Susan Cornwell, Reuters

“Republican Health Care Lying Syndrome,” Paul Krugman, New York Times

“Americans are much more worried about health care than illegal immigration, poll shows,” Tim O’Donnell, The Week

“The GOP’s capitulation to Obamacare,” Aaron Blake, Washington Post

“Trump now promises a Republican health-care bill in [checks notes] 2021,” Philip Bump, Washington Post

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The GOP ‘Obamacare’ Replacement

The Republican Party has long sought to replace the Affordable Care Act, chiefly because most people call it “Obamacare.” The GOP has been struggling to come up with a replacement plan that further benefits insurance and pharmaceutical companies without killing off too many Trump voters. John Oliver explains how that’s going:

TRUMPcare

GOP presidential contender and TV reality star Donald Trump has revealed his healthcare policy. Like other Republicans, Mr. Trump wants to trash the Affordable Care Act for three good reasons: It has enrolled 20 million people who didn’t have insurance coverage before, cost less than projected, and (most importantly) everyone calls it “Obamacare.”

The Donald consulted the finest minds at Trump University Medical School and formulated a healthcare system that would cost a fortune while leaving millions of Americans without medical care. Obamacare covers people even if they have preexisting conditions; TRUMPcare kicks those 60 million losers to the curb. TRUMPcare allows insurance sales across state lines, fostering even greater corporate consolidation. The Donald’s plan also relies on health savings accounts, which won’t work for people who don’t earn enough to save. TRUMPcare would lower costs through tax deductions, which are great for the rich, instead of tax credits, which benefit people of all income levels.

It’s certainly a meaty proposal. In fact, TRUMPcare is the Trump Steaks of health policy.

Scalia Dissent

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia drew upon his rigorous Jesuit education in rendering his closely-reasoned dissenting opinion in King vs Burwell. His considered judgement:

“interpretive jiggery-pokery“

“somersaults of statutory interpretation”

“Pure applesauce.“

Scalia, always le mot juste.

More:

“Just How Angry Is Justice Scalia Over the Obamacare Ruling?” Elspeth Reeve, The New Republic

“The Wit and Wisdom of Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court’s Lovable Curmudgeon,” Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

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Judge Serves Obamacare Pizza

Two Federal appellate courts ruled on Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies in most states. So are they legal? No, repeat Yes.

Two judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said they’re not, so poor people in states too lazy to set up their own insurance exchanges have to pay as much as wealthier folks for health insurance, making the law the Unaffordable Care Act.

Hours later the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond decided not to punish the poor just because Congress can’t write clearly. The ultimate rationale for the Fourth Circuit’s decision? Pizza. Federal Judge Roger Gregory explained:

“If I ask for pizza from Pizza Hut for lunch but clarify that I would be fine with a pizza from Domino’s, and I then specify that I want ham and pepperoni on my pizza from Pizza Hut, my friend who returns from Domino’s with a ham and pepperoni pizza has still complied with a literal construction of my lunch order.”

“Judge Uses Domino’s Pizza to Explain Obamacare Exchanges,” Arit John, The Wire

 Looks like Pappa John’s CEO John Schnatter has another reason to hate Obamacare.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear the case in a few months, and the issue may make it to the Supreme Court in a couple of years.

More:

“Here’s what Obamacare’s authors said they actually meant,” Emily Badger, Washington Post

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Flash: Obamacare Girl FOUND!

Amy Robach of ABC News spoke with “Adriana,” the “Mona Lisa of Obamacare” whose photo mysteriously disappeared from the Healthcare.gov homepage:

“The smiling woman who was once the face of the Affordable Care Act’s website has come out of the shadows to stand up to the ‘cyberbullying’ she says she suffered after the law’s flawed kickoff.

Speaking exclusively to ABC News, Adriana, who asked that only her first name be used, said she was speaking out now to defend herself after weeks of enduring online lampooning.

‘They have nothing else to do but hide behind the computer. They’re cyberbullying,’ Adriana told ABC News’ Amy Robach.”

— “Exclusive: Obamacare’s Mystery Woman Says She Fell Victim to Cyberbullies,” Abby D. Phillip, ABC News

More:

“Mystery ‘Face’ Of Obamacare, A Colombian Immigrant, Says She’s Victim Of Cyberbullies,” Fox News Latino

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‘Obamacare Girl’ — Still Missing!

The Lady of Obamacare fled from the Healthcare.gov webpage late last month and has not been seen since. She’s more than a stock photo now; she’s a meme, the “Mona Lisa of Health Care.” Paparazzi keep watch for”Adriana” in the corridors of power, at fashionable parties, “Cadillac” health plan spas, and in smart nightclubs, without result. Adriana, where art thou?

Wall Street Journal Health Care Expert: Suzanne Somers

“As a writer of 24 books mostly on health and wellness and by using my celebrity to get to the best and brightest doctors, scientists and medical professionals in the alternative and integrative health-care world, I have come to the following conclusions:

 First of all, let’s call affordable health care what it really is: It’s socialized medicine.”

 — “The Affordable Care Act Is a Socialist Ponzi Scheme,” Suzanne Somers, Wall Street Journal blog

“You might expect the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal to pit its own expert against the Obama administration, seizing on this opportunity to argue for the dismantling of the program. And it did: Its blog The Experts delivered a blistering guest post by an ‘expert’ on health care: Suzanne Somers, the developer of the Suzanne Somers Toning System with ThighMaster Gold and ButtMaster, and the former Chrissy Snow of the sitcom Three’s Company.”

“The Somers commentary is appalling. But that’s not our concern.

 The issue is that a distinguished news organization has risked its reputation by calling this the work of an expert. With the publication of this piece, the Journal is a little less distinguished than it was the day before.”

“Wall Street Journal features the actress Suzanne Somers as an “expert” on health care,” -Paul Raeburn, Knight Science Journalism Tracker (MIT)

Health Care Website Gets a Second Opinion

In a generous effort to help beleaguered Republicans regain face, President Obama handed them a punchline. He’s having the Obamacare website fixed by the guy who overhauled Cash for Clunkers.

 More:

“Who is Jeffrey Zients, and how is he qualified to fix HealthCare.gov?” Josh Hicks, Washington Post blog

“Meet Jeff Zients: The Man Charged With Fixing Obamacare’s Broken Site,” Abby D. Phillip, ABC News

Who is Jeffrey Zients? Ask his mom,” Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today

Related:

“Could Obama’s Campaign Tech Gurus Fix Healthcare.gov? Let’s Ask ‘Em!” Tim Murphy, Mother Jones

“Here’s the Obama administration’s plan to fix HealthCare.gov,” Sarah Kliff, Washington Post blog

“QSSI, contractor chosen to fix HealthCare.gov, faced questions from lawmakers last year,” Jia Lynn Yang, Washiongton Post

“Why We Need a Healthcare.gov Witch Hunt,”  John Dickerson, Slate

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