Please take me seriously!
I thought you might enjoy seeing what a Republican bill looks like, since we hear so much about how Republicans can’t read the long bills (you know, the bills with an actual plan that take into account many aspects of the proposed legislation). So, yes, here it is ladies and gentlemen: A Bill! By Eric Cantor, Representative (R-VA-7th District) and House Majority Leader-Elect.
Drum roll…….
Courtesy of Washington Examiner
A BILL
To repeal the job-killing health care law and health carerelated (sic)
provisions in the Health Care and Education
Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’’.
SEC. 2. REPEAL OF THE JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAWAND HEALTH CARE-RELATED PROVISIONS IN
THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2010.
(a) JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW.—Effective as of the enactment of Public Law 111–148, such Act is re7
pealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.
(b) HEALTH CARE-RELATED PROVISIONS IN THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2010.—Effective as of the enactment of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–152), title I and subtitle B of title II of such Act are repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such title or subtitle, respectively, are restored or revived as if such title and subtitle had not been enacted.
Fini! Now, this bill is actually two pages long due to the title formatting, lest you fail to be impressed by the Republican’s seriousness in this two paragraph bill, replete with title error. This reminds me of their “healthcare reform alternative” bill! All logos and style but no substance. But it does come with a talking point, “This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’’. Yes, indeed, the job-killing health care act! As if the Republicans care about jobs. Oh, dear.
Note that they aren’t saying that the healthcare reform act is in fact based upon the very free market principles they claim to believe in. In fact, their market researchers told them never to refer to it as a free market act, because the people would like that. “Indeed, facing a Democratic plan that actually relied on the free market to try to bring down costs, Luntz (Frank Luntz, Republican strategist) recommended sidestepping that inconvenient fact: ‘The arguments against the Democrats’ healthcare plan must center around politicians, bureaucrats and Washington … not the free market, tax incentives or competition.’”
So it was very important that they brand it a “government take-over”, which they did very successfully, earning themselves the PolitiFact Lie of the Year for 2010:
“In the spring of 2009, a Republican strategist settled on a brilliant and powerful attack line for President Barack Obama’s ambitious plan to overhaul America’s health insurance system. Frank Luntz, a consultant famous for his phraseology, urged GOP leaders to call it a “government takeover.”
“Takeovers are like coups,” Luntz wrote in a 28-page memo. “They both lead to dictators and a loss of freedom.”
The line stuck. By the time the health care bill was headed toward passage in early 2010, Obama and congressional Democrats had sanded down their program, dropping the “public option” concept that was derided as too much government intrusion. The law passed in March, with new regulations, but no government-run plan……
• The phrase appears more than 90 times on Boehner’s website, GOPLeader.gov.
• It was mentioned eight times in the 48-page Republican campaign platform “A Pledge to America” as part of their plan to “repeal and replace the government takeover of health care.”
• The Republican National Committee’s website mentions a government takeover of health care more than 200 times.
Conservative groups and tea party organizations joined the chorus. It was used by FreedomWorks, the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute.
The phrase proliferated in the media even after Democrats dropped the public option. In 2010 alone, “government takeover” was mentioned 28 times in the Washington Post, 77 times in Politico and 79 times on CNN. A review of TV transcripts showed “government takeover” was primarily used as a catchy sound bite, not for discussions of policy details.
PolitFact notes that this phrase was used successfully and without push back by pundits, etc.
Now Republicans are urging us to call it a “job-killing act“. Nicely done, boys. Way to stay topical! We can never accuse the Republicans of not understanding and exploiting what will scare the American public the most at any given moment. And we can count on the media to sit this round of lies out as well. After all, why should they correct the facts? Isn’t it their job to help sell the big lie?
What’s missing? Well, besides a viable alternative (and you knew better than to expect that), where are the flags and the tea bags and the rifles? This can’t possibly be good for America if they left those symbols of liberty off of the bill.
Please don’t laugh at the elephants, darlings. They can’t read so they assumed you couldn’t either. Just nod and smile and pretend this is what you pay them for. This is an example of “reform” by the Republicans. So charming! And this little two paragraph “bill” will cost us unknown millions while they wave the two papers around for the cameras and bluster and stomp their feet for their Tea Party base. Heck, what’s a few more million dollars when you’re protesting a bill that will reduce our deficit over the long haul? Can you say fiscal con?
Cheers, people. You can expect a lot more of this low-level chicanery over the next two years.
Thank you Sarah!
Republicans will NOT INCLUDE COST OF REPEAL OF HC REFORM…..!
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47000.html
DUH—-Of course they -gop- will not include the costs..That would be responsible and responsive to the American people..Republicans don’t do that!
They screw and lie to the people to help the wealthy and corporations…Who benefits if HC reform is repealed? Insurance companies-– that is who!
Their plan- gop’s- is to replace the benefits–pre existing conditions- drug benefits for seniors- children covered on parents insurance--23 million not denied coverage -with torte reform !–What a crock and scam on the American people!
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/01/what-is-truth/68809/
The thing I still can’t understand is… won’t the healthcare insurers benefit more from the reform act than from repealing it? Am I mistaken, or aren’t they being handed 50 million new customers on a silver platter?
Thank you! This is what has me in such a dilemma. At the center of the bill, amid a lot of good provisions
impacting vulnerable populations is that piece-of-crap personal mandate to buy private insurance. I HATE
this provision, particularly being a single-payer supporter. And I also find it a highly dangerous precedent that we
can be forced to buy anything from one of the most corrupt, immoral industries in history. Forced to support their
obscene profits and have our government act as their “enforcers”. They’ve been getting around regulations for
decades. But you’re right, I actually read something recently where the insurance companies are actually afraid the
GOP will be successful in their challenge for exactly the reason you state. It takes tens of millions of new “customers”
off their silver platter. The infighting should be entertaining but the public loses either way as far as I can see.
The “job-killing” label is laughable but not the tactic. The conservatives are VERY good at this, have marketing
people studying the latest neuroscience and psychology of decision-making all the time. None of the quick adoption
and repetition of that language is coincidental. That’s part of what Profs.George Lakoff and Drew Westen keep trying to get progressives to snap to. We have lost our overall narrative (not spin) but values-based narrative that was such an essential part of the Civil Rights movement, and every successful social justice movement, and we’d best get to it in a hurry.
Highly recommend their articles and books for all activists!
The insurer’s are going to get screwed because the government has to pay them back, with the tax payers’ money – your money.
This was 2 paragraphs longer than their original health care bill!
Ha:-) Their logo-licious “alternative”.
you have to wonder what happens if someone asks what jobs have been killed. You also have to wonder what happens if you asked why haven’t the insurance companies included millions more people and made much more money.
That’s the good old free market. Get as many clients as you can. However in the healthcare industry competition is totally illusionary and they are not in business for Americans. So if they are not in business for Americans, then I asked why do the Republicans deny Americans the right to find their own insurance?
Then I’ll ask why are the Democrats not standing on top of the mountain, on television and everyplace else they can get to say this is what you’ve gotten started in January 1. And I demand to know what jobs have been killed. It’s time to grow some rocks and stand up and push the Republicans against the wall for all to see
Wow, they put a lot of thought into this didn’t they?
This is Big Idea Time, baby!
Pulling out all the stops for the American people!
The bill is downright wordy considering the jist of it is “no”
Another inconvenient fact that they will avoid is that the idea was proposed by Republicans and even written up by health care lobbyists in the first place. They should have taken the opportunity to share credit for it when they could.
Well, they can’t be labeled the “party of NO” anymore! Now they’re the “party who can extend NO into a 2 paragraph bill that really says nothing.” They’re getting better LOL!
Good luck with this #GOP – the Senate will shut this down and the President will veto.
But the GOP will get “credit” for “attempting” to repeal the bill – and they will scream it from the rooftops that they TRIED.
Just one more nail in their party’s coffin.
Todays poll says 61% of the population want the tax on rich reinstated. Thats got to cork the “Will of the people” John Boehner
So… 61% of people think that, because someone went to college, masters, PHD, etc, for 10+ years, and gets paid lots of money for hard work, they should be taxed more? I know there are plenty of people out their that have money for nothing, but there are tons more that DO put in hard work every day, and then get screwed over by this. It’s also sad how some people think that (for example) if someone gets taxed 5% of $1 million is somehow less tax than 50% of $100,000.
Another random fact is that 1% of the population pays just over 38% of all the taxes. Yeah, I think we will continue to screw over the people that work their asses off their entire life, take away 35% of what THEY earned, because the government clearly earned it instead.
One more thing, ~53% of households pay taxes. That’s a ton of people that, in my opinion, are having an impact on how to control everyone else’s money. If you don’t pay taxes, you should not be allowed to vote.
Really, so people who fay their FAIR share of taxes are getting screwed? Paying taxes is a patriotic thing in my mind. Of course, if you say you don’t like what your taxes fund I can counter that and say yes, I agree that I would prefer to not see my tax dollars primarily go towards creating jobs in the military-industrial sector. That’s really where the lion share of US expenditures go, isn’t it?
The other part of your fallacy is that this 1% are extremely hard working people. What a crock of chit. The majority of them have inherited money, are sitting on dividends and investments, or are CEOs who to be frank, often contribute less than lower level workers in many organizations. Stop deluding yourself.
It’s not another nail in the Republican coffin. Have you not seen the results of the last election? They’re not going anywhere (sadly!). The Republican party is the nail in America’s coffin. Since the average American voter, or should I say non-voter is stuck on stupid, they will eventually get their way. They own the media. They know how to frame their conversation in ways that appeal to the average American. (The job-killing blah blah blah..) Soon the press will actually be calling it that, with Fox News leading the way, of course. And will the Democrats EVER use the word “liar” when they address these scumbags? (Will they ever use the word “scumbag?”) Till the Democrats actually learn to fight, and fight hard and dirty, the Republicans are not going anywhere.
Does this mean that the people who were covered as a result of the law will have their coverage retroactively cancelled and get refunds on their premiums?
Does this mean that the physicians and hospitals to who claims were paid will have to return the money?
Those details are not covered in the two paragraphs, which shows just how serious they are about this. Meanwhile, the Right is crowing about how short this is as if not having any information is better than having to read. Go figure.
Premise A: Health Care is unconstitutional.
Premise B: Health Care is also unGodly.
Premise C: If God wanted us to have health care, he would have given us perfect health as a birth right.
Conclusion: Obama is not only a socialist/communist/terrorist/business hater, he is the anti-Christ of American presidents.
“Premise C: If God wanted us to have health care, he would have given us perfect health as a birth right.”
No no!
Premise C: If God wanted us to have health care, he would’t have given us perfect health as a birth right.
Two thoughts:
First, how long will it be before they want to call the healthcare reform bill the “Illegal Immigrant free ride homosexual agenda Sharia law Nazi socialist tyranny act”?
Second, why did they waste their time with this when they could’ve just made it the “Automatically repeal every act enacted in the past or future or EVER by Obama bill”? It would save them literally tens of minutes of writing these ridiculous 2-page repeal “bills” over the next six years…
One Bill to rule them all! Well done Frodo!
I love that picture of loser Cantor. Where did you find it?
It’s a repeal…. It is supposed to propose the striking of a bill from law not what, if anything, will replace it. The shortness of the bill is not only due to the format of all repeals but to the celebrity of the bill that is in question. Do you honestly think that any senator has forgotten what the bill states after the struggle it originally faced to get passed? Or that the Republicans oppose it? The logos, ethos, and pathos of the bill are to be debated on the floor not in the bill, another reason for the briefness of his proposal. Sure it’s a terrible name that look like it took two minutes and could be bested easily by another senator, but that is no reason to believe he’s humiliated or uneducated.
“Do you honestly think that any senator has forgotten what the bill states”
Do you honestly think any senator read it?
Yes I do.
Conservative Heart– are social security and Medicare unconstutuonal? Given your beliefs, you will probably say yes, but the courts have never found that. Those programs have mandates just like the health care reform act.
Your second comment is so moronic, it’s impossible to reply to. I guess you don’t think it’s ” unGodly”(not even a word) that sick or dying children should bd dropped from health care because they are sick. Do you think Jesus would approve??
Did you take government in high school? Because you don’t seem to understand socialism. You may want to look at books instead of listening to Fox.
I feel sorry for you- you are so incredibly misinformed it’s frightening.
I read books. And if you ask me to name some, I can.
I read them all. All of them.
And FOX News is the only credible source of information for real, God-fearing Americans.
You fear God? That’s your problem really.
While you try and spin Republicans as morons this bill is exactly what the majority of Americans want. First a repeal of the health care law and second it has no unnecessary language or pork projects in it. As far as not having a plan for the consequences of the repeal, there should be no consequences for something that has not started yet. Please stop with your spin. The fact is the majority of Americans stood up and told Washington not to pass it in the first place, so why should it take more than a few words to end this gross overstepping of power by the federal government.
Actually its not. The majority wanted the public option. Everyone has insurance like civilized countrys.
But I suppose we should agree with you. After all those seniors and children arnt mine. Screw em. Let the cost of healthcare go beyond what anyone can pay
Something that hasn’t started yet? These provisions of health insurance reform have already gone into effect:
• Small businesses (fewer than 50 employees) can apply for tax credits for up to 50% of the cost of health insurance for employees.
• The Medicare donut hole for prescription drug coverage begins to close. Medicare recipients who already passed through the donut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 check. The amount will increase each year until the hole is finally closed in 2020. At the same time, “double dipping” provisions for businesses who paid Medicare costs for employees are eliminated.
• Medicare will expand to small, rural hospitals with few Medicare patients.
• Help for companies that provide early retiree health benefits for age 55-64.
• “Uninsurable” people with preexisting conditions became eligible for insurance via high-risk pools that will last until exchanges take over in 2014.
• New insurance plans must offer free preventive care with no copays.
• Medicare patients will receive free preventive care.
• New plans must offer an appeals process for both coverage determination and claims.
• Insurance companies must reveal how much they are spending on care vs. overhead. Nonprofit Blue Cross companies will be held to no more than 15% overhead.
• There is a two-year temporary credit up to $1 billion to encourage investment in new disease prevention and treatment therapies.
• Insurers can no longer deny kids coverage.
• Your kids can stay on your insurance policy through age 26.
• Insurers can’t drop you if you get sick.
• No more lifetime limits on benefits.
• Health insurers are limited to 15% overhead and must rebate any excess premiums.
• Health savings accounts and tax credits will be streamlined
So you want to go out and get the donut hole money back? The small employer tax credits back? You want to tell taxpayers that preventing price gouging is unconstitutional or that kids should be denied coverage again?
No wonder that repeal bill is so short.
and that’s exactly what needs to be posted constantly in as many forums as possible. Nobody knows what’s going on with this. Obviously because not all of us do this type of research nor should everyone have to do it when the information is available from many sources.
The Democrats have to get up and beat this into people’s heads so that they understand what is at stake
“Nobody knows what’s going on with this. ”
That’s exactly the problem. Maybe if the Dems had been able to write a bill shorter than 1,000 pages, people would be able to read it and figure out what was in it. As such, it’s a mountain of paper, intricately laced with hidden agendas.
And where in all of the facts are the increases in premiums that are already happening for individuals and small businesses because of this healthcare bill…? Probably on a different page…
First let us revoke the medical and retirement benefits for the GOP congressmen and women. Second, reduce their salary by 50%, then they can talk about other things.
Enough of this stupidity being posted by libtards!
Do you guys know what Obama’s health care bill really is? I’ll tell you.
At heart, it’s the illegal immigrant free ride homosexual agenda Sharia law Nazi socialist tyranny act.
Wow, have you barricaded yourself in your home yet. That’s next I suppose.
If the GOP got everything they wanted, would republicans wnat to live in this country?
Think about it…. What if there was no Democratic party or alternative, only Republicans ruled congress, senate and became Presidents. Would conservatives have a better life for them and their children?
This reminds me of my history classes where we studied the industrial revolution. Right before womens sufrage, human and workers rights: that’s what we would become.
It’s a bill to repeal something, it’s going to be short regardless of who writes it. More reasons why I hate ALL politics and the people that say “look at what they did that is stupid” for irrelevant reasons.
you might consider it stupid if you ask the question what do you replace it with, how do you deal with the payments that are are in the system, while it cost the government, the government being you and me. There is a vast myriad of questions to be asked if you try to repeal this because parts of it have been in the system for almost a year. you can’t just walk up and say okay it’s repealed
So the GOP now claims this will kill jobs so it should be repealed?
Ok everyone, quick music lesson. If you play and hit one wrong note, its a mistake. Play the same wrong note over again, it is now Jazz.
GOP does the same thing. Say a ridiculous comment, and its just asinine. Repeat the same comment on every talking heads TV show and Network you can, and suddenly it becomes ‘topical’.