From Our Future
Senate leader Mitch McConnell has warned Republicans that if he can't find 50 Republican votes to repeal and replace Obamacare soon, he'll open negotiations with Democrats to "fix" the thing.
He intended this as a threat -- a club to help round up the necessary support among Republicans for his original bill. Now, as push comes to shove, Republican Senate leaders claim they'll put a marginally revised health care bill on the floor for a vote before the August recess.
With more and more Senators literally besieged by their constituents in Town Hall meetings, and with the current draft registering little more than single digits in popularity, McConnell is finding it harder to round up the Republican votes he needs. As early as next week, McConnell may be reaching out to Democrats to find a bipartisan "fix" for Obamacare.
A fix is needed, but not because the individual exchanges are collapsing, as Donald Trump frequently claims. It's needed because the costs for health care for individuals or families forced to purchase on the exchanges are too high and rising. And in increasing numbers of counties, the health insurers are consolidating, leaving consumers with only zero, one or two suppliers. The resulting concentration will insure that prices keep rising.
Democrats claim they are ready to negotiate. All 48 Democratic Senators signed a open letter to Republicans stating that "If repeal [of Obamacare] is abandoned, we stand ready to work with you to help all Americans get the affordable health care they need."
What should Democrats demand in return for their support?
A few technical tweaks won't do it. RoseAnn DeMoro of the National Nurses United calls on Democrats to "stand for something," demand a single payer system and refuse to negotiate. Medicare for all has increasing support from Democrats, but far from a majority in the Congress.
Time to Start FreshWhat progressives should demand is that Democrats require a vote and debate on Medicare for all. That will not only help educate more of the public about the alternative, it will expose where every Senator stands.
Democrats can't settle simply for adding subsidies to insurance companies in the private exchanges to sustain competition. Subsidizing insurance companies is noxious in itself, and would do little to help bring costs down.
Democrats should make it clear that any reform has to make the ACA more affordable. Republican proposals to repeal $750 in top end taxes that were part of Obamacare should be torpedoed. Similarly, signature rightwing fixations like expanded health savings accounts, modifying the ratio to lift prices for the elderly, tort reform should be ruled out.
Democrats can't accept the Republican package with a few add-ons. They need to start fresh with a clean bill.
First PrinciplesIn a new bill, Democrats should start with first principles:
1. Expand Public Provision
Reforms should move us closer to a single payer, or Medicare for all system. Medicaid and Medicare should be expanded, not cut back. Democrats could insist not only on no cuts to Medicaid and no block granting of the program, they could call for lifting the income level for Medicaid eligibility, making it available to more low income workers. They could also push for extending Medicaid expansion to all states, perhaps by extending the federal assumption of costs for a longer period of time. Democrats could also call for lowering the eligibility age for Medicare. And they should use the negotiation to clear away the regulatory barriers to states seeking to move to a single payer system.
2. Curb Drug Company Excesses
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