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Trumpcare 3.0 |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| In original or revised forms, House and Senate versions of Trumpcare
are hazardous to human health - what just societies would never tolerate. The revised Senate plan is worse than its original version. It guts Medicaid, slashing its funding by $772 billion over the next 10 years - putting the health and lives of 75 million Americans at risk. Tax cuts for the rich are reduced from $888 billion to $657 billion over the next decade. Why should high-net-worth households get any tax brakes at the expense of vital healthcare for ordinary Americans? Taxes assessed on the rich under Obamacare (ACA) are retained, but vitally needed progressive taxation is off-the-table. If Trump’s tax plan is enacted, high-net-worth households will benefit hugely at the expense of low-income Americans forced to pay more (20% of US households). The revised Senate measure (Better Care Reconciliation Act - BCRA) would let insurers offer bare-bones plans without vital protections, especially for individuals with preexisting conditions. According to America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), BCRA “rules and standards would further de-stabilize the individual market and increase costs for those with pre-existing conditions.” Tens of millions of Americans would “potentially lose access to comprehensive coverage and/or have plans that were far more expensive, as premiums in the Exchange market would rise much faster than under existing market conditions.” “The Exchange markets would basically function like a high-risk pool - with unaffordable premiums for those with pre-existing conditions.” “As premiums rose, only those with the highest health needs and expenses would remain thereby accelerating the decline in the Exchange market.” BCRA would lead to a “downward spiral” with higher insurance premiums, lower enrollment, millions uninsured, and most others way underinsured, an appalling situation. A modest increase in opioid crisis funding leaves BCRA’s worst features intact. A previous article explained Trumpcare has nothing to do with providing affordable coverage for all Americans. It’s a scheme to transfer enormous amounts of wealth from most Americans to business and high-net-worth households - while depriving the nation’s most vulnerable of a fundamental human right. Trumpcare is an abomination, a shameful betrayal of the public. Single-payer Medicare for all is the only acceptable system. Thousands of US physicians, National Nurses United, other health organizations and most Americans support it. America is the only developed country without some form of universal coverage. It’s long past time to shift from unacceptable marketplace medicine, based on the ability to pay, to assuring ordinary people have access to the same care as privileged ones when they’re sick or injured. Nothing less is acceptable and equitable! VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |