COVID-19 & Healthcare

Happy Birthday ‘ObamaCare’

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Against all odds, the Affordable Care Act aka “ObamaCare” turns 5 today. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the historic law that has transformed the lives of millions of Americans.

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Steve Benen writes, 5 years later, ‘Obamacare’ critics can’t believe their lying eyes:

Exactly five years ago today, the White House hosted a signing ceremony in the East Room for one of the most important policy breakthroughs in a generation. Policymakers from both parties have talked about providing health security for all of the nation’s families for roughly a century, but on March 23, 2010, officials gathered not just to talk but to celebrate action.

Vice President Biden introduced President Obama to the audience and, in comments that weren’t intended for the public’s ears, said to the president off-mic, “This is a big f***ing deal.” Five years later, there’s little doubt that Biden was entirely correct.

If you’d told me five years ago that on March 23, 2015, the Affordable Care Act would exceed expectations on every possible metric, including reducing the nation’s uninsured rate by a third, I’d say “Obamacare” would look like a great success. And fortunately for the country, that’s exactly what’s happened.

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Action Alert: CAP abortion bill SB 1318

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Action Alert from Arizona List: Monday: SB 1318 to be heard in the House SB1318 is the anti-reproductive justice bill of this session.   It will make it impossible for women in health exchanges to buy a policy – even with their own money – that covers abortion.  It is time to make a call! … Read more

Jim Nintzel nails it on Ducey’s budget

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Hats off to Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly for his cover story this week, So I Elected an Ax Murderer (a word play on Mike Myers’ So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993). Read the whole article, but here is the meat of Nintzel’s analysis.

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Six Things To Know About the New State Budget

Here are six things to know about the state budget:

1. Education Got Clobbered

K-12 education saw increases in some areas but reductions in others for a total increase of $81 million in the upcoming budget year. The state was required by formula to increase spending by $250 million, but lawmakers reduced a number of other funding programs by $169 million, according to a Joint Legislative Budget Committee summary.

The biggest cut was a general reduction of $117 million of what Ducey originally pitched as “non-classroom spending” by district, but by the final budget allows districts to decide where to cut those dollars.

Lawmakers also cut funding for district-sponsored charter schools, which will lose half of their funding this year and all of it in fiscal year 2017.

Also in fiscal year 2017, the state is cutting $30 million in support of Joint Technical Education Districts, which are designed to help students develop vocational skills. That’s of particular importance to students who don’t intend to go to college, but also helps some students get a head start on their college education.

Left unresolved is the outcome of an ongoing lawsuit over whether lawmakers have properly funded education based on population growth and inflation. So far, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the lawmakers did not properly do so and the case has been sent back down to Maricopa Superior Court, where legal arguments are ongoing.

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The GOP budget: This is not a serious governing party

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The New York Times summary says it all: “The Republicans’ proposed budget partly privatizes Medicare, turns Medicaid into block grants to the states, repeals the Affordable Care Act and reaches balance in 10 years.”

EddieMunsterThis is the same bullshit budget from the GOP’s alleged boy genius, Ayn Rand fanboy Paul Ryan, every year since 2011. It is pouring old wine into a new bottle.

The GOP is not a serious governing party. It is consumed by ideological  extremism, trapped in the epistemic closure of its conservative media entertainment complex feedback loop. The GOPropagandists in the right-wing noise machine dictate public policy.

The Times reports, House Republican Budget Overhauls Medicare and Repeals the Health Law:

House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a proposed budget for 2016 that partly privatizes Medicare, turns Medicaid into block grants to the states, repeals the Affordable Care Act and reaches balance in 10 years, challenging Republicans in Congress to make good on their promises to deeply cut federal spending.

The House proposal leans heavily on the policy prescriptions that Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin outlined when he was budget chairman.

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The GOP plots the next round of hostage takings and ransom demands

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Greg Sargent noted in his column on Friday, Chaos in Congress is about to get a lot crazier:

The quote of the week, one that will likely reverberate through the halls of Congress for many months to come, is this one from GOP Rep. Charlie Dent, lamenting the inability of the House GOP caucus to unite behind, well, anything at all:

“We really don’t have 218 votes to determine a bathroom break over here on our side. So how are we going to get 218 votes on transportation, or trade, or whatever the issue?”

If you thought that the GOP clusterfuck over the Department of Homeland Security funding fiasco was fun, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The GOP is plotting the next round of hostage takings and is sending more ransom demands to the White House. This week, McConnell will delay Lynch unless Dems cooperate on trafficking bill:

hostageSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday said Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee to succeed Eric Holder as attorney general, will not move until Democrats cooperate surrender on a human trafficking bill.

Democrats have threatened to [filibuster] the bipartisan trafficking measure because Republicans included a provision that would prohibit restitution funds from paying for abortions.

McConnell told Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Lynch’s nomination will remain in a holding pattern until Democrats allow the trafficking bill to move forward.

“This will have an impact on the timing of considering the new attorney general. Now, I had hoped to turn to her next week, but if we can’t finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again,” he said.

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