Trump Slams Rand Paul As “Negative Force” On Fixing Healthcare; Paul Immediately Responds

Trump is an asshole. This piece of shit bill does not repeal and replace Obamacare. He’s a fucking liar. He’s just like every other scumbag politician in Washington DC. They just want to pass something before the 2018 mid-terms so they can say they did something. This fucking bill will not reduce your premiums, deductibles, co-pays or choices. It’s a joke. Rand Paul is the only Republican with balls. And he is no friend of Trump. Anything supported by that loser Lindsey Graham is definitely bad for America.
Tyler Durden's picture

Now that hopes for a bipartisan deal to fix Obamacare are dead and the Republicans are pushing on with a last-minute scramble to repeal Obamacare ahead of a Sept. 30 legislative deadline in hopes third time will be the charm, on Wednesday morning just after 8am, President Trump slammed Sen. Rand Paul for being a “negative force” on health care.

Rand Paul is a friend of mine but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing healthcare. Graham-Cassidy Bill is GREAT! Ends Ocare!” Trump tweeted adding “I hope Republican Senators will vote for Graham-Cassidy and fulfill their promise to Repeal & Replace ObamaCare. Money direct to States!”

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Previously Paul had called the bill from Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy “ObamaCare lite” and said he wouldn’t support it.  The Graham-Cassidy bill seeks to give more power to states by converting money currently spent on ObamaCare’s subsidies and Medicaid expansion into a block grant to states.

Paul wasted no time in responding to Trump’s accusation, and just moments later responded that “#GrahamCassidy is amnesty for Obamacare. It keeps it, it does not repeal it. I will keep working with the President for real repeal.”

According to the Hill, earlier this week, Paul expressed concern that the Republicans’ latest attempt to repeal ObamaCare might pass.

“There’s a big groundswell of people pushing for this,” Paul told Reporters on Monday. “Two weeks ago, I’d have said zero [chance it’ll pass], but now I’m worried.”

He said the bill “does not look, smell or even sound like repeal” and “I’m kind of surprised this has been resurrected because I don’t think it has been fully thought through.” He also said the bill exists “mostly to take money from four Democratic states and redistribute it to Republican states.”

However, just like during the last two failed attempts to repeal Obamacare, it will not be up to Paul but senators John McCain and Lisa Murkowski who will decide the fate of the Republicans latest ObamaCare repeal effort. The two were among the three Republicans, along with Sen. Susan Collins who sunk the last GOP effort to repeal ObamaCare.

With Paul saying he is voting no and Collins thought to be a likely opponent, the bill would need both McCain and Murkowski to vote yes to pass.

* * *

As a reminder, efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare sprung back with considerable momentum on Monday (after two failed attempts) as several lawmakers expressed support for a new repeal and replace bill, spearheaded by Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La. Introduced last week, Graham described the bill as Republicans’ last hope for rolling back President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act.

“If you believe repealing and replacing Obamacare is a good idea, this is your best and only chance to make it happen,” said Graham last week at a press conference. The bill is also sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

With 52 Republican Senators in Congress, the Graham-Cassidy bill can only afford to lose two Republican votes.

* * *

Here, courtesy of ABC, is what to know about the proposal:

The Graham-Cassidy plan

The Graham-Cassidy plan proposes distributing some federal funding currently available under the Affordable Care Act directly to states in the form of block grants. From 2020 to 2026, states would receive a set amount of federal funding to be used at their discretion for health care coverage, but cost-sharing subsidies the federal government pays to insurance companies to lower the cost of some plans on the individual insurance markets and money some states receives to expand their Medicaid rolls would go away.

The 31 states that applied for Medicaid expansion funding under the Affordable Care Act would see that money rolled back and eventually cut off. Graham and Cassidy say their plan would help balance Medicaid funding across the country, but Democrats say states with large Medicaid populations would struggle to provide coverage to their populations. Spending on Medicaid would be done per capita, meaning that less populous states like Maine and Alaska–home to two Senators currently on the fence about the plan–might struggle to foot the bill.

The plan would repeal two key parts of Obamacare, the individual and employer mandates, and states could apply for waives to alter what counts as an “essential health benefit” for insurance companies as they design their plan options. In addition, states could obtain waivers so that insurance companies could charge people with some pre-existing conditions more for some plans in their states. That practice is prohibited under current law. While insurers would likely still have to offer people with pre-existing plans choices, they could potentially limit coverage options as well under the proposed bill.

Graham-Cassidy would also allow people over the age of 30 to buy into catastrophic coverage plans, which have high deductibles but lower premiums and less benefits, as a way to get more healthy people covered. The bill would also allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more than younger Americans. Obamacare taxes unpopular with Republicans, like the medical device tax, and tax on health savings accounts would also be repealed.

* * *

When will Congress vote?

McConnell assured Graham and Cassidy a vote would be scheduled with the condition that the Senators drum up the 50 votes needed to pass the bill. Republican leadership is hard at work trying to convince a small–but undecided–group to commit their support to the legislation. McCain has raised procedural concerns over the bill, saying he is hesitant to support any legislation that has not been scrutinized in committee hearings.

“Why did — why did Obamacare fail? Obamacare was rammed through with Democrats’ votes only. Are we going to ram through our proposal with Democrats and the president? That’s not the way to do it,” said McCain on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

McCain is one of a handful of Senators, including Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Shelley Moore Capito, R. W.Va., and Rob Portman, R- Ohio, who have not indicated their support for the bill. Some have appeared to scrap repeal efforts altogether in favor of working towards the small, bipartisan solutions for the individual insurance market that have been introduced in hearings with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has remained strongly opposed to the Graham-Cassidy bill, even calling it “Obamacare-lite.” With one Senator already voting no, Republicans cannot afford to lose more than one more vote. A primary roadblock for Graham and Cassidy has been the Congressional Budget Office, or C.B.O. The C.B.O. announced on Monday that while it plans to offer a “preliminary assessment” of the bill, it will not be able to provide a full score of the bill for “at least a few weeks.” The C.B.O. score indicates how much the legislation will affect the government’s deficit and is needed for the Senate to vote.

Graham pleaded for the C.B.O. to expedite its scoring process so he can present cost estimates to Senate colleagues before Sept. 30. But Democrats say the Senate should not vote on the legislation unless a full–not preliminary–score is released.

* * *

The political battle ahead

Ryan called Graham-Cassidy, “our best, last chance to get repeal and replace” on Monday at an event in Wisconsin. And Republican leaders, sensing an opportunity to knock down key parts of Obamacare, are moving full speed ahead with the bill. Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey endorsed the bill on Monday, adding extra pressure for McCain to support a bill written by one of his closest allies and friends in the Senate. In an interview with ABC News, Collins said she is still undecided. “I’m leaning no certainly, but I am still evaluating the bill and its text. We hadn’t had it for very long and it’s difficult to do without the assistance of the Congressional Budget Office.” Democrats say those cuts to Medicaid are unacceptable, with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Ct., tweeting that Graham-Cassidy “is an intellectual and moral garbage truck fire.”

 

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55 Comments
Diogenes
Diogenes
September 20, 2017 10:12 am

We are at the point where it is quite apparent, to anyone with at least half a functioning brain, that the emperor wears no clothes.
Team Goy #432

Muck About
Muck About
September 20, 2017 10:21 am

Politics sucks. The performers therein are all two faced, they all lie, prevaricate or stretch the truth to attempt to project an image they hope the ever-stupid “public” will find attractive. Anything to help them retain their seat in the next election.

How anything positive gets done in that whirlpool of cess is beyond me.

muck

Dutchman
Dutchman
September 20, 2017 10:42 am

Zero sum game.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran
September 20, 2017 10:57 am

Trump is right on this one. Obamacare has a lot of bad aspects and this bill doesn’t correct all of them, but it would get rid of the individual mandate – which is an unconstitutional capitation tax (even though Roberts was spooked into acquiescencing to it). Block grant it to the states. Let the states handle however they want. California would pay for Mexicans’ sex changes and Kansas wouldn’t.

Rand Paul takes a lot of good stands. Doing something about civil asset forfeiture would be a good start. Here he’s making the perfect be the enemy of the improvement. If you can’t pass any legislation ever then you’re voting for what we have now, and his protestation that he’s holding out for some utopian solution that will never pass is a bunch of bullshit.

starfcker
starfcker
  Iska Waran
September 20, 2017 4:27 pm

Iska is owning this thread. Here’s why. “The plan would repeal two key parts of Obamacare, the individual and employer mandates, and states could apply for waivers to alter what counts as an “essential health benefit” for insurance companies as they design their plan options. In addition, states could obtain waivers so that insurance companies could charge people with some pre-existing conditions more for some plans in their states. That practice is prohibited under current law. While insurers would likely still have to offer people with pre-existing plans choices, they could potentially limit coverage options as well under the proposed bill.” Jim, you ask specific questions no one is addressing. Without knowing specifics, I can’t answer how it will lower your premiums. But here’s how it will lower mine. I can buy a LOT LESS insurance. Rand is a joke. In the end, he will accomplish nothing. If Rand wanted to lead, he should have run for President. Or at least been coherant enough to qualify for the debates. So what was the point? Getting rid of the mandates is key to destroying this monster. Trump knows that, and never loses focus on that. If Rand can’t see that, he’s wasting everybody’s time.

starfcker
starfcker
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 4:50 pm

Absolutely not. I want to see the insurance companies and the HMO’s taken apart by RICO and antitrust. But first things first. Getting rid of the bongocare mandates is the first crucial step. The details don’t matter.

Gator
Gator
  starfcker
September 20, 2017 5:14 pm

“I want to see the insurance companies and the HMO’s taken apart by RICO and antitrust”

This bill does nothing to move that forward. That would be the easier of the steps. No congress or senate input needed. Trump could simply direct his AG and DOJ to start enforcing existing laws on the insurance and drug companies, as well as hospitals. Why hasn’t he?

ALL this accomplishes is allowing them to tell the rubes they depend on for votes that they accomplished something. It will give pied pipers like Hannity and Limbaugh some talking points to praise these useless people, conning the lemmings further. Its a toothless paper tiger that will do more harm than good. Convincing people you did something while actually doing nothing is counterproductive. It will also allow the left to shift the blame for Ocare’s inevitable failure on republicans and trump, which will give them the needed ammo to move the healthcare system in the opposite direction.

starfcker
starfcker
  Gator
September 20, 2017 5:30 pm

Gator, that’s the Denninger angle. Burn it down. Never has been what Trump is about. You want to have something left at the end of the process. Those options will still be available. First step is to end the private taxation (the mandates, all of them). This bill does that. Awesome first step. The vote is next week. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul. You are the company you keep. Jim is correct in calling out the insurance companies. They have become too powerful. The private vs government argument is pointless once organized crime reaches that level. Take away their ability to tax, and everything else we need to do becomes easier to do.

Gator
Gator
  starfcker
September 20, 2017 7:05 pm

“You want to have something left at the end of the process”

I agree. All of the things necessary to treat sick people would still exist. There would still be hospitals, drug companies, and doctors, as well as places to train them. Sure, this would wipe out a few hundred thousands jobs, but these jobs only exist because of the absurd number of middle men between us and our doctors. They aren’t necessary. Think of them like most government jobs.

“First step is to end the private taxation (the mandates, all of them). This bill does that.”
“Take away their ability to tax, and everything else we need to do becomes easier to do.”

This ends a couple of onerous obamacare related taxes, that is all, but does not take away the governments ability to tax us to pay for healthcare. Any revenue that this deprives the government and health care complex WILL be either taxed from us in another way, or borrowed in our name, conjured out of thin air, whatever, to pay for all of it anyways. This bill does not address that. SO long as the thing I mentioned isn’t done, it will just result in bigger budget deficits. Don’t get me wrong, Im all for the government taxing less, but unless it is accompanied by spending cuts, big ones, its all for naught anyways.

starfcker
starfcker
  starfcker
September 20, 2017 7:48 pm

Gator, separate the issues. I’m not talking about elected government ability to tax. I’m talking about insurance companies ability to tax. Nor do I mention deficits. Separate, if equally important issue. This is where Rand gets stuck in the tar baby. He’s too fucking dumb or too fucking corrupt to realize this thing is going to have to be dismantled one step at a time. Collins, Murkowski, and McCain stopped the last attempt to start disassembling this bitch. Anyone think that was noble? This is no better. Rand got his vote. He lost, in July. So now he’s going to vote for the status quo? Utter dirtbag.

overthecliff
overthecliff
  starfcker
September 20, 2017 8:17 pm

There are a lot of things that dweeb Jeff Sessions could do to make Trump the greatest president. Stop fighting FOIA requests and facilitate a little sunshine on government operations. Prosecute John Koskanen and Lois Lerner and John Brennan.

The way DOJ is operating Trump might as well have kept Loretta Lynch as AG.

Stucky
Stucky
September 20, 2017 11:02 am

“The bill would also allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more than younger Americans. ” —— article

Whoop, whoop … sign me up!!!

GO TRUMP!!!!

Sincerely,
Trumpeteer for life

/sarc

Iska Waran
Iska Waran
  Stucky
September 20, 2017 11:17 am

Stucky -the article like all articles about this – is insincere. Yes, most of the federal rules that mandate the ratio of premiums would come off, but states could and would implement their own. I’m sure New Jersey would implement its own rule to ensure that young people keep overpaying for insurance so that older people could get it for less.

nkit
nkit
  Stucky
September 20, 2017 11:47 am

Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?
D-O-N A-L-D T-R-U-M-P
Donald Trump, Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Donald Trump
Forever make America great again!

/more sarc

Anonymous
Anonymous
September 20, 2017 11:12 am

Demand perfection and you will receive nothing.

Because only nothing is perfect.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 12:17 pm

If you disagree, why don’t you make an intelligent response aimed at persuading me otherwise through real world example.

I’m open to considering it.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 1:11 pm

Well, at the State level there is more ability to address the issues of cost, distribution, and such through local sources than it is from remote isolated and insulated Federal ones, and solutions can be based on actual local or regional needs instead of facing one size fits all solutions dictated from afar.

50 times the ability.

But my original comment was in regard to demanding perfection and the probable result, I haven’t read the bill (and no one I know of actually has) so I can’t fully comment on every provision in it.

I find at least some progress, even if imperfect, much more desirable than nothing being done at all.

i forget
i forget
  Anonymous
September 20, 2017 3:19 pm

Movement, shuffling paper, isn’t progress. Free markets aren’t perfect, but “demanding” – whatever that means – less is “more crumbs, please….”

Stucky
Stucky
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 12:36 pm

Chicken shit coward Anons aren’t even worth a “blow me” response, imho.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Stucky
September 20, 2017 1:12 pm

But you just can’t quit replying to them can you?

RiNS
RiNS
  Anonymous
September 20, 2017 1:51 pm

Stucky sorta said “blow me” Admin wuz just a bit moar direct…

Rob
Rob
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 2:42 pm

sincerity and elegance is always appreciated.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran
September 20, 2017 11:20 am

Rand tweeted that this bill is “amnesty for Obamacare”. Cute. He gets in two trigger words to rile up the right wing while his sanctimonious “no” vote will enshrine the abominable principal that the government can force people to buy a product – any product – merely on account of their being alive.

BSHJ
BSHJ
September 20, 2017 11:27 am

Well, if enough people get together and contact their congress-peoples to let them know what THE PEOPLE want……..then same said congress-people will vote the opposite….(to save us I’m sure)

Anonymous
Anonymous
September 20, 2017 11:44 am

I thought Trump ran on “repeal?” That’s what RP offers. Where’s the problem?

Iska Waran
Iska Waran
  Anonymous
September 20, 2017 12:07 pm

The problem is getting 49 other senators plus Pence to go along.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Iska Waran
September 20, 2017 1:15 pm

People seem to expect Trump to be a dictator, yet he never claimed to be running for that position.

So why do they expect it?

BL
BL
September 20, 2017 12:06 pm

Just theater for the masses until they officially put everyone on Medicare/Medicaid. Then we are all fucked.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  BL
September 20, 2017 12:24 pm

I’m thinking there is already enough unspoken support and intent in congress (and among the American people as a whole) to do that, it just isn’t quite the time to do it yet.

Diogenes
Diogenes
September 20, 2017 12:29 pm

I agree with Rand. The whole Obama-rape plan falls to pieces without the mandate, So why not get rid of the fucking thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSE_dNKVrGs

Team Goy #432

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Diogenes
September 20, 2017 1:17 pm

We can’t get rid of it because the Republicans aren’t willing to get rid of it without a whole bunch of other things tacked on as well.

And they can’t come to agreement on what should be tacked on.

BL
BL
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 12:48 pm

Why debate this, we are going to get the Uncle Bernie Plan and you know it. Trump won’t change anything and the Repugnants are just doing their schtick. Rand Paul is a joke.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  BL
September 20, 2017 1:19 pm

So far, Rand is no more effective than his father.

Just a lot more establishment oriented than his father was.

Zarathustra
Zarathustra
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 5:29 pm

Anything bearing the name of that evil faggot Graham has got to be dogshit.

Captain Willard
Captain Willard
September 20, 2017 12:40 pm

I will tempt fate here by politely suggesting to Admin that eliminating both the “risk corridor” subsidies for insurers and the Medicaid expansion funds for states will go a long way toward killing Obamacare as we now know it.

Admittedly, it is less palatable than a full repeal. But the optics of a full repeal are tough for certain swing-state Senators. This is not a justification on my part, just an observation.

I’m guessing the GOP game plan is something like this: “If Obamacare dies of natural causes after this bill passes, it’s unlikely the public will understand exactly what happened. This will give us a chance to put in something better after the mid-term elections.”

Obviously I prefer a ballsier full repeal. But I’m used to getting denied.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 1:39 pm

Costs aren’t going to go down under any plan, they can be contained at best IMO.

Changing insurance requirements and putting the responsibility for some or all of the payment somewhere else (government, individuals, whatever) just changes where the money goes and hides how it gets there, it isn’t going to change how much you pay overall even if it isn’t to a single and overtly identifiable source any more.

An example, your premium today, assuming you are paying your full premium, includes the cost of those not insured at all that don’t pay at all (illegals, deadbeats, cheats, etc.) as well as including taxes being paid that subsidize those with subsidized insurance and Medicaid even though the amount in additional taxes and premiums you are paying is not obvious and is not broken down in your bill. (sort of like the cost of those Obamaphones are a part of your phone bill but don’t show up as such so you don’t know how much additional you are paying on it)

Captain Willard
Captain Willard
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 2:07 pm

I’m just as frustrated as you are. I’m about to lose my insurance for the 2nd time since Obamacare passed. The Bill will not help either one of us right away but should help in the long run.

I think it’s better than nothing because it eliminates the “risk corridor” insurance subsidies. This will eliminate the incentives for private insurers to write Obamacare policies. The Medicaid expansion was a fig leaf under which lower-income consumers received subsidies at the State level. Insurers preferred to write these policies instead of insuring guys like us because of the subsidy.

Anything that eliminates subsidies should help us because insurers will have to compete for the remaining healthy private payers once they can no longer make a guaranteed profit on Obamacare and Medicaid expansion.

I realize that I’m probably engaging in wishful thinking but that’s all I have left. My premium has tripled and my deductible has doubled over the last 8 years. CIGNA has informed me they won’t insure me for 2018.

DRUD
DRUD
September 20, 2017 12:49 pm

Ultimately, anything and everything that is done by/through the system is just another version of can-kicking. We are headed for a collapse of empire caused by diminishing returns on complexity and energy. This supersedes by far the minutia of this bill or that vote.

Diogenes
Diogenes
  DRUD
September 20, 2017 12:54 pm

TRUTH! Very pithy DRUD. What more need be said!
Team Goy #432

Cass
Cass
September 20, 2017 2:15 pm

Congress should take zero action until and unless they aren’t excluding themselves from any legislation. They have to live with it if we do. Period.

ottomatik
ottomatik
September 20, 2017 3:09 pm

It is a big fuckin mess, just like Biden said while wispering in Obamas ear and grabing his crotch.

I would like to throw a big shout out to President Trump for a truely historical UN speech.
Fuck them.
He clearly told the globalist to get fucked, right there in their safe space.

ubercynic
ubercynic
September 20, 2017 3:41 pm

Anything supported by that loser Lindsey Graham is definitely bad for America.
True enough, but loser is way too kind.

WRT the OP: Obamacare is merely a symptom.

Diogenes
Diogenes
  Administrator
September 20, 2017 4:50 pm

Lady Lindsey is a cocksucker in more ways than one.
Team Goy #432

Greg
Greg
September 20, 2017 6:08 pm

ADMIN is correct, thoroughly.
This is a wretched fix using the same old “ratchet effect” the GOP base have been using while desperately hoping for acceptable change. The ratchet is broke. Financially and otherwise. Trumps ability to govern is compromised and this is conclusive evidence. Graham? Really?
I see dozens and dozens of Mexicans busting their ass in the fields in my neck of the woods. Do I really owe them healthcare while they toil on Bill Gates farmland? Isn’t it possible for Gates himself to pay out of pocket?
When Chicago’s drug lords declare war on each other, does each opposing side carry their own medics?
ITS A FOOKING TAX.
GET RID OF IT!!!

Outkast millenial
Outkast millenial
September 20, 2017 8:21 pm

So the goobermint created this mess…. and now there are people on here wanting the goobermint to fix it! Some people never learn. As admin always says, the stupid it burns!

TampaRed
TampaRed
September 20, 2017 9:58 pm

Two points here that contradict each other.
There is an old saying in politics that movement equals momentum.
On the other hand,by allowing Ocare to die gradually the Republicans take the chance that the Democrats retake the House /Senate,and if Ocare is on life support but still alive they can bring it back to life.It’s much easier to ramp up an existing bill than to enact new legislation.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran
September 25, 2017 3:50 pm

Denninger explains that the “danger” of Graham-Cassidy is that some state might actually go after the fraud and then the whole system of fraud would collapse. And that’s why it won’t pass.
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=232414