Just as the Dog and Pony show begins on ObamaCare 2.0, talk is circulating that ObamaCare 3.0 is in the works.
The Wall Street Journal: President Barack Obama will use a bipartisan summit Thursday to push for sweeping health-care legislation, but if that fails to generate enough support the White House has prepared the outlines of a more modest plan.
His leading alternate approach would provide health insurance to perhaps 15 million Americans, about half what the comprehensive bill would cover, according to two people familiar with the planning.
It would do that by requiring insurance companies to allow people up to 26 years old to stay on their parents' health plans, and by modestly expanding two federal-state health programs, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, one person said. The cost to the federal government would be about one-fourth the price tag for the broader effort, which the White House has said would cost about $950 billion over 10 years.
Officials cautioned that no final decisions had been made but said the smaller plan's outlines are in place in case the larger plan fails.
While this scaled down version is not a bad as the original, it still is bad. First it makes greater demands on private insurance (26 year olds!) that are sure to raise rates. Then it irresponsibly adds to our unfunded liability Medicaid. Fortunately, these things can be undone a little easier than what has been proposed in versions 1 & 2.
The official word from the White House is that there is no ObamaCare 3.0, but a scaled down version makes a whole lot more political sense. Obama and the Democrats worked on health care reform for over a year (with a super majority no less) and have come away with zilch thus far. Not passing anything would make Obama and the Democrats look like complete losers. Granted, a scaled down ObamaCare won’t fly with many on the left, but this sham summit will help provide cover for the more prodigious plans' failure by involving Republicans.
It is very possible that the Dems can scrape together enough votes to pass ObamaCare 3.0. The big question is whether or not RINOs will bite? I can see Snow or Collins going for ObamaCare 3.0 and perhaps even Scott Brown if presented the right way.
I can hear Obama now using this scaled down version during his 2012 campaign: “I passed sweeping health care reform”. Meanwhile, we will all know the truth; he got his clock cleaned and settled for what he could get.
Via: Memeorandum
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4 comments:
What if the 26 year old has 3 or 4 kids?
The 26 year old's parent may also have younger dependant children.
Now instead of covering one family with dependants - the insurance company is covering two.
If you were an insurance company would you keep your rate the same -or would you double it? My bet is that they just cover a the second family for free. Sure - that makes sense.
Just what I want - the cost of my family coverage doubeling.
Where do these people come up with these ideas?
F-ing idiots
Can we all just stop a minute and remember that the majority of Americans were NOT asking for healthcare reform before Obama took office? HE decided this was the agenda and ignored huge problems with the economy for a year (or at least didn't do anything productive to help the economy) while pursuing the cause he has deemed as most important. I am praying this charade will get put to rest soon but I doubt that will happen. Republicans need to stop playing the game and draw positive attention to and provide solutions to the issues that Americans care about most right now: economy, jobs, immigration, deficit, etc.
'scuse me, but I seem to remember way back when I was a kid (yeah! that long ago!) insurance covered children until they reached a certain age, or were enrolled in higher education and reached a certain age, joined the military, were gainfully employed and no longer living at home, OR married with children.
If it used to be, why can't it return to be?
Meadow, I can remember paying for routine doctor visits out of pocket........insurance could be purchased to cover extreme costs. But that was before government got so involved.
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