the Republican plan

The GOP released their own health care bill the other day. ....Stop laughing, this is serious. The basics? It costs $61 billion, would allow insurers to cut coverage for people who are ill, would allow insurance companies to deny coverage to those who are sick, allows insurers to base themselves in the state with the weakest regulation (like the credit card industry), and generally makes insurance less comprehensive and more filled with loopholes. But that's just the analysis of a douchy, left wing, liberal organization like the Wall Street Journal. What does the Congressional Budget Office say? Pretty much the same thing.

By 2019, CBO and JCT estimate, the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would be reduced by about 3 million relative to current law, leaving about 52 million nonelderly residents uninsured. The share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage in 2019 would be about 83 percent, roughly in line with the current share.

Yeah but that's only $61 billion to cover 3 million more. The Democrats plan costs almost a trillion dollars and only covers....96%+ of Americans. So...uh....yeah. But hey, it might cut premium costs by 3%! You know every American opens their health care bill and says "Motherfuck! If only this goddamn bill was 3% lower, I could afford to feed my children." The GOP bill also shaves $68 billion off the deficit...while the Democratic bill knocks $104 billion.

So according to the non-partisan CBO, the Democrats cover 36 million more, cuts premium costs more, makes the deficit lower, allows people who are sick to get covered, doesn't allow companies to cut coverage on people who are sick, and doesn't make things like the credit card companies. Oh, and is actually a real bill and has a chance in hell of getting passed. In other words, the CBO stomped the GOP plan into a red mush and is driving out to the woods to dig a hole to bury it in.

But I would like to thank the GOP for taking this opportunity to pull out their dicks and step on them in public, committing a sad, tragic, and completely unforced error that they had to know was coming when they were putting together this "bill". I would also like to thank them for making me feel better. Because nothing makes a compromise filled, weakly incremental, and timid Democratic health care bill look like a slice of fried gold like its GOP alternative. Thanks, you made Harry Reid, Max Baucus, the Senate Finance Committee, the Blue Dogs, and even Joe Lieberman look good by comparison. OK, maybe not Lieberman, but making the rest look good is a stunning achievement. I can hardly await the muffled laughter and CBO shaming your climate change bill will elicit.