The Lunatic Base and congressmen of dubious purpose are not the only ones free to say amazing things during the August Town Hall Season.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on CNN’s State of the Union yesterday and he defended his party’s 40 attempts to repeal Obamacare because they are the real protectors of America. Because Death Panels.
PRIEBUS: Republicans had many of those provisions in our bill. When we ran in November we were talking about pre-existing conditions and kids under 26 on their parents plans.
This isn’t like some Democratic exclusive or something. What people don’t want are government panels deciding whether something’s medically necessary. They don’t want a government panel deciding that their doctor instead of getting, you know, a quarter for every dollar of service they’re gonna say now you’re gonna to get a nickle. Well then guess what I’m not taking that patient. People know what Obamacare is. It’s European, socialist style-type health care and people don’t want it.
I can’t be the only who watches Priebus cry that caring about people ‘isn’t a Democratic exclusive’ and laugh uncontrollably.
‘We care about people, too!’
I can’t recall a time when Republicans on the campaign trail presented a full-throated endorsement of eliminating pre-existing conditions or keeping older children on their parent’s insurance plans but, even if they had, it’s amusing that Reince wants to take credit for popular provisions of Obamacare while attempting to repeal it 40 times.
And they offer no alternatives. “Repeal and Replace” has become just Repeal.
In case you’re just joining us, here’s a primmer on what Republicans refer to as Government Death Panels or “European, socialist style-type health care.”
The Independent Payment Advisory Board is an expert body charged with developing and submitting proposals to slow the growth of Medicare and private health care spending and improve the quality of care. The President nominates the board’s 15 members, who require Senate confirmation, for staggered six-year terms. The board must include physicians and other health professionals, experts in health finance, health services researchers, employers, and representatives of consumers and the elderly. To prevent control by special interests, health care providers may not constitute a majority of the board’s membership. [...]
The board’s proposal (or that of the Secretary) may not include any recommendation to ration health care, increase Medicare premiums or cost-sharing, cut Medicare benefits, or restrict eligibility. It must focus exclusively on proposals for achieving savings in the payment and delivery of health care services — not shifting costs to beneficiaries.