In this passionate episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel lays out the source of the problem with GOP reluctance to fully repeal Obamacare. At its core, they are making up procedural excuses that don’t exist and have no understanding of free markets. Worse, their political barometer as to what the public wants on health care is completely broken.
Daniel blasts the entire premise of the mindless mantra: “repeal and replace” and demonstrates how it has morphed into bait-and-switch. Anyone who understands the source of the problem with health care and how Obamacare exacerbated that problem into complete insolvency would know that we don’t need to replace Obamacare at all. We need to repeal, reform, and restore the free market. There are a number of good free market ideas, a number of which are explained in this episode, but the premise that they must be in place before we repeal Obamacare or serve to supplement the core goals of Obamacare is false.
Republicans have fundamentally adopted the Democrat philosophy on health care – pursuing the elusive and utopian goal of universal coverage at the expense of lowering costs. In reality, the only political option that would actually lower costs is full and unconditional repeal of the insurance regulations. Repeal that is contingent on replace is not repeal at all. Only after the fire is put out can we go a step further and roll back some of the anti-market forces – both in health insurance and on the supply side of health care – that existed even before Obamacare. Daniel teases a number of these ideas at the end of the podcast.
Repeal, reform, and restore – not repeal and replace. Understanding that distinction is the lynchpin to this battle.
Key quotes:
“We need to "replace" Obamacare before repealing it the same way we need to replace the ancillary warmth some people derive from an arson before the fire is extinguished.”
“At its core, the problem with health care is that we regulate it into insolvency, drive up costs, then break the budget on subsidizing the higher prices, which in turn raises the prices even more and engenders and even greater need for subsidization – a complete circuitous death spiral of insolvency.”
“Obamacare stepped on the gas pedal in terms of the cycle of regulations/mandates and subsidies. When Republicans talk about “replacing” Obamacare, they intend to accept the basic premise of mandates and subsidies, albeit with a pale pastel distinction.”
“The word “actuarial” is mentioned 63 times in Obamacare. The law literally prohibits actuarially solvent plans. What is so hard and politically risky about Republicans simply repealing that prohibition – the heart and soul of Obamacare?”
Show links:
No, the Parliamentarian cannot stop Republicans from repealing all of Obamacare with 51 votes
How Obamacare 'repeal and replace' became a 'bait and switch' monstrosity
