Senate bill to “repeal and replace” Obamacare finally sees light: Daily Bullshit, June 22-25, 2017

There is a new research journal entry up, entitled “Are conservatives mentally disordered?


Updates

  1. June 23, 4:21 am:
    • As of now, Republicans do not have the votes to “repeal and replace” Obamacare as four Republican senators announce their possibly transitory opposition.[1]
    • Apparently before they were 10-2 to convict, the Bill Cosby mistrial jury was more evenly split.[2]
  2. June 23, 5:17 pm:
  3. June 23, 8:30 pm:
    • Right now, it looks like Mitch McConnell is losing rather than winning votes for the Senate bill to “repeal and replace” Obamacare[3]
    • Uber hasn’t just been losing executives but ordinary workers as well. It’s trying to stem that flow.[4]
  4. June 24, 10:12 pm:
    • It’s hard to imagine that any Republicans would care, but apparently the Medicaid cuts in the Senate bill to “repeal and replace” Obamacare would make it even more difficult for opioid addicts to find treatment and this is a real problem for at least a couple Republican senators.[5]
    • Bruce Bartlett is a conservative whose work I encountered while working on my dissertation. He badly miscalculated in endorsing Donald Trump and hopes that the resulting apocalypse will lead to a Republican intellectual reawakening.[6] (Republicans)
  5. June 25, 11:38 am:
    • It’s looking more and more like Mitch McConnell is going to have to back down on his plan to hold a vote on the bill to “repeal and replace” (it apparently does neither) Obamacare this week.[7]
    • The so-called “Freedom Caucus” is making soothing sounds about the Republican bill to “repeal and replace” Obamacare even as it diminishes some of their priorities.[8]

Obamacare

The Senate bill is clearly mean to Medicaid recipients:

The Senate bill would keep the House plan to send a fixed amount of money to states each year based on enrollment or as a lump sum block grant. But it would shrink the program even more over time by pegging the annual growth rate of those funds to standard inflation, rather than the more generous medical inflation, starting in 2025. This would likely force states to cut enrollment, benefits or provider payments.[9]

And it’s mean to anyone who isn’t doing well in the neoliberal regime:

The Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] provides government help to anyone who earns less than 400 percent of the federal poverty line ($47,550 for an individual or $97,200 for a family of four). The people who earn the least get the most help. The Senate bill would make those subsidies much smaller for many people, and only provide the money to those earning less than 350 percent of the poverty line ($41,580 for individuals and $85,050 for a family of four). The Senate bill will tether the size of its tax credits to what it takes to purchase a skimpier health insurance plan than the type of plans Affordable Care Act subsidies were meant to buy. Essentially, these tax credits buy less health insurance.[10]

It’s already difficult to find doctors who will accept Medicaid (“MediCal” in California). There’s no way this is going to make it easier. Which means the poor will have a harder time finding medical care. They’ll also have a harder time with co-pays and premiums, if they choose to buy insurance (they can choose not to).[11] Which means they will be more likely to die. Which I guess is one way of dealing with poverty.

Stephanie Armour, Kristina Peterson, and Louise Radnofsky, “Senate GOP Health Bill Would End ACA Penalties, Cut Taxes on High Incomes,” Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-gop-health-bill-would-end-aca-penalties-cuts-taxes-on-high-incomes-1498143743

Sarah Kliff, “The Better Care Reconciliation Act: the Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, explained,” Vox, June 22, 2017, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/22/15846728/senate-plan-better-care-reconciliation-act

M. J. Lee, Tami Luhby, Lauren Fox, and Phil Mattingly, “Senate finally unveils secret health care bill,” CNN, June 22, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/politics/senate-health-care-bill/index.html

Peter Sullivan, “Fifth GOP senator announces opposition to healthcare bill,” Hill, June 23, 2017, http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/339206-fifth-gop-senator-announces-opposition-to-obamacare-repeal-bill

Rachel Roubein, “Opioid crisis threatens GOP ObamaCare repeal,” Hill, June 24, 2017, http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339237-opioid-crisis-threatens-gop-obamacare-repeal

Kyle Cheney and Rachael Bade, “Freedom Caucus holds fire on Senate Obamacare repeal bill,” Politico, June 25, 2017, http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/25/freedom-caucus-senate-health-care-bill-239919

Rebecca Savransky, “Senate Republicans reluctant to rush vote on healthcare bill,” Hill, June 25, 2017, http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339385-republicans-say-senate-shouldnt-rush-vote-on-healthcare-bill


Bill Cosby

There was almost nothing to see here. The Associated Press contacted jurors in the Bill Cosby mistrial, found one who disclosed anonymously that there were two holdouts that prevented a conviction on the first and third counts. All but one would have acquitted on the second. The story offers no details on the deliberations and doesn’t even clarify which allegations were which.[12] Then they found another.[13]

I’m sure there must be, but I’m failing to think of any, more vapid stories. To me, these were all but pointless; I archived them for future reference.

Fortunately, not all was lost with the AP. Finally, I found an AP story on the Grio that offered something a little more in-depth and troubling: “The juror questioned the long delay in bringing charges against the TV star, suggesting that ‘no new evidence from ’05 to now has showed up, no stained clothing, no smoking gun, nothing.’” The article immediately explains what this juror had apparently failed to understand, that

prosecutors reopened the investigation in 2015 after the public release of a deposition that Cosby gave in 2005 and 2006 as part of accuser Andrea Constand’s civil suit against him — testimony that hadn’t yet been offered when another district attorney passed on the case in early 2005. Prosecutors used Cosby’s deposition as evidence at the criminal trial.[14]

I guess I would add that circumstances were different in 2005. This culture, while still a rape culture, has made considerable progress even over the last ten years on the topic. If the juror was concerned about the present day politics of sexual assault, s/he should be equally as concerned about the politics at that time.

Associated Press, “Juror: 2 holdouts in Bill Cosby’s trial refused to convict,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 22, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/juror-2-holdouts-in-bill-cosby-s-trial-refused-to-convict/430054543/

Associated Press, “The Latest: Bill Cosby spokesman says town halls are planned,” June 22, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/the-latest-juror-says-cosby-trial-panel-almost-evenly-split/430169823/

Joe Mandak and Michael Rubinkam, “Juror says Cosby panel was concerned about ‘politics’ of case,” Grio, June 22, 2017, http://thegrio.com/2017/06/22/cosby-jury-concerned-about-politics/


Uber

Greg Bensinger and Kelsey Gee, “Leaderless Uber Scrambles to Prevent Employee Exodus,” Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-makes-quick-workplace-reforms-to-calm-strained-nerves-1498237561


Republicans

Bruce Bartlett, “‘Trump Is What Happens When a Political Party Abandons Ideas,’” Politico, June 24, 2017, http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/24/intellectual-conservatives-lost-republican-trump-215259


  1. [1]Stephanie Armour, Kristina Peterson, and Louise Radnofsky, “Senate GOP Health Bill Would End ACA Penalties, Cut Taxes on High Incomes,” Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-gop-health-bill-would-end-aca-penalties-cuts-taxes-on-high-incomes-1498143743
  2. [2]Associated Press, “The Latest: Bill Cosby spokesman says town halls are planned,” June 22, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/the-latest-juror-says-cosby-trial-panel-almost-evenly-split/430169823/
  3. [3]Peter Sullivan, “Fifth GOP senator announces opposition to healthcare bill,” Hill, June 23, 2017, http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/339206-fifth-gop-senator-announces-opposition-to-obamacare-repeal-bill
  4. [4]Greg Bensinger and Kelsey Gee, “Leaderless Uber Scrambles to Prevent Employee Exodus,” Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-makes-quick-workplace-reforms-to-calm-strained-nerves-1498237561
  5. [5]Rachel Roubein, “Opioid crisis threatens GOP ObamaCare repeal,” Hill, June 24, 2017, http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339237-opioid-crisis-threatens-gop-obamacare-repeal
  6. [6]Bruce Bartlett, “‘Trump Is What Happens When a Political Party Abandons Ideas,’” Politico, June 24, 2017, http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/24/intellectual-conservatives-lost-republican-trump-215259
  7. [7]Rebecca Savransky, “Senate Republicans reluctant to rush vote on healthcare bill,” Hill, June 25, 2017, http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339385-republicans-say-senate-shouldnt-rush-vote-on-healthcare-bill
  8. [8]Kyle Cheney and Rachael Bade, “Freedom Caucus holds fire on Senate Obamacare repeal bill,” Politico, June 25, 2017, http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/25/freedom-caucus-senate-health-care-bill-239919
  9. [9]M. J. Lee, Tami Luhby, Lauren Fox, and Phil Mattingly, “Senate finally unveils secret health care bill,” CNN, June 22, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/politics/senate-health-care-bill/index.html
  10. [10]Sarah Kliff, “The Better Care Reconciliation Act: the Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, explained,” Vox, June 22, 2017, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/22/15846728/senate-plan-better-care-reconciliation-act
  11. [11]Sarah Kliff, “The Better Care Reconciliation Act: the Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, explained,” Vox, June 22, 2017, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/22/15846728/senate-plan-better-care-reconciliation-act
  12. [12]Associated Press, “Juror: 2 holdouts in Bill Cosby’s trial refused to convict,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 22, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/juror-2-holdouts-in-bill-cosby-s-trial-refused-to-convict/430054543/
  13. [13]Associated Press, “The Latest: Bill Cosby spokesman says town halls are planned,” June 22, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/the-latest-juror-says-cosby-trial-panel-almost-evenly-split/430169823/
  14. [14]Joe Mandak and Michael Rubinkam, “Juror says Cosby panel was concerned about ‘politics’ of case,” Grio, June 22, 2017, http://thegrio.com/2017/06/22/cosby-jury-concerned-about-politics/

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