TrumpCare Bill Lays Bare the Schism in the Republican Party

Source: RedState | March 7, 2017 | Patterico

There is a schism in the Republican Party. On one side are conservatives, who believe in liberty, the free market, and the Constitution. On the other side is the Donald Trump wing, which has no guiding principles other than blind faith in Donald Trump. The schism has been evident for over a year, but papered over at times by a desire for unity. But the new proposed GOP TrumpCare bill lays bare this division.

Why do I call it TrumpCare? Because this is the bill that Donald Trump wants. Paul Ryan has said the House GOP has been working hand in glove with the Trump administration on this:

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If there were any doubt about this, Trump has put it to rest this morning, praising the plan as “Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill”:

Meanwhile, Rand Paul has furiously denounced it:

Sen. Paul is right. There are differences between the bill that has been unveiled and the draft Ryan plan, but two central features that make it ObamaCare lite remain.

First, it does not repeal ObamaCare. It amends it. That is a violation of Republicans’ promise to the voter. Republicans promised to repeal ObamaCare. Not tinker with it, mess with it, or delay parts of it. Repeal it.

Second, it retains ObamaCare’s subsidies, calling them “refundable tax credits.” You may have read elsewhere that the subsidies are gone — but really, they have merely been tinkered with. Refundable tax credits are subsidies, plain and simple. They are handouts from the government because you get cash even if the credit is larger than what you owe. In some areas, the subsidies are even more generous than Obama’s.

A few days ago, Ted Cruz laid out a free market vision for repealing ObamaCare. The key ideas included full repeal, combined with regulatory and tax changes that would undo the decades-old bias in favor of employer-based health care and allow greater competition. These key ideas are nowhere to be found in the new bill, which retains the basic regulatory structure of ObamaCare.

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  • Consistent March 7, 2017 at 1:49 pm #14167

    EVERYDAY March 7, 2017 at 4:07 pm #14174

    Well, we all knew Republicans would mess this up. They always do.

    Ted Cruz did indeed have the right ideas, but conservatism is dead in the Republican Party, so Cruz’s ideas will never be implemented. When are conservatives going to realize they and their ideas are no longer welcome?

    I am so glad I left this sham of a party.

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