12 comments

1. July 12, 2012 - 8:06 am Dana Johnsstone

   I agree with James Conner. Just because Republic-Care is bad, doesn’t mean Obama-care doesn’t have some bad provisions. Thanks for having the courage to point this out.
2. July 12, 2012 - 5:39 pm James Conner

   Thanks. For another take on the subject, see:

   http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/12/12706855-from-repeal-and-replace-to-repeal-and-reverse
3. July 12, 2012 - 7:19 pm Craig Moore

   James, kudos and bravo to you. Although we may differ on the specifics at least you are the only one who takes a decent stab at laying out the competing approaches.

   My major complaint with all the plans is that they don’t start with health care improvement as the basic foundation.
4. July 12, 2012 - 7:27 pm Ingemar Johansson

   Another James view on the subject.

   QOTD: “[T]he government is not adept at micromanaging how health care should be delivered to patients. When the government is given this much authority and discretion, it does not result in higher-quality care for patients. Rather, it leads to price controls and one-size-fits-all regulations that misallocate resources and lead to access problems. It will only be a matter of time before the federal government uses its new powers to impose even more top-down cost controls on the health system, to the detriment of the quality of American health care.” –James Capretta
5. July 12, 2012 - 8:48 pm Norma Duffy (@Ilikewoods)

   Great Article James,Republicans have been perfectly willing to do whatever they can to repeal the health care law, but haven’t given much detail about what they would replace it with.

   At least ACA is a start for this state. Yes I like single payer more, and we can work towards this in our state. Obviously Vermont is working on it.
   • July 13, 2012 - 8:03 am Craig Moore

     Looks like Schweitzer is alarmed over Medicaid expansion: http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/07/12/medicaid-expansion-tough-sell-governors-both-parties/UDF0QdMdWL1ZBgIvVmD0MN/story.html

     At least seven Democratic governors have been noncommittal about expanding their Medicaid programs, the chief means by which the law would extend coverage to millions of Americans with incomes below or near the poverty line.

     ‘‘Unlike the federal government, Montana can’t just print money,’’ Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday. ‘‘We have a budget surplus, and we’re going to keep it that way.’’

     The law would add an estimated 84,000 people to Montana’s Medicaid program, doubling its size, Schweitzer said. Although the federal government would pay the vast majority of the additional costs, Montana’s health and human services department estimates the state’s share would reach $71 million in 2019. Outside groups say the costs would be lower .
     • July 13, 2012 - 8:46 am larry kurtz

       A burgeoning cannabis industry would supplement revenue for added costs.
     • July 13, 2012 - 10:42 am James Conner

       Reducing the surplus to expand Medicaid is the moral choice. Of course, with a single-pay system everyone would be covered and we wouldn’t be having these kind of discussions.
       • July 13, 2012 - 9:47 pm Jennifer Davies

         Single-layer is absolutely the solution. The only way to cut costs is to reduce the middle man – the massive insurance companies eating up our money. There are many other ways single payer controls cost – group negotiating for prices, caring for people based on need instead of profit, and reducing the massive amount of paperwork doctors have to do to keep a-float.
     • July 13, 2012 - 12:35 pm Norma Duffy (@Ilikewoods)

       No Matter how you dice it your people just want folks to die quickly. Repeal and replace with what?????

       This is supposed to be a Moral country, but the GOP don’t have he stomach for that anymore!
6. July 12, 2012 - 8:54 pm James Conner

   For those wondering who Mr. Capretta is, this should help:

   “James C. Capretta, a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), was an Associate Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2001 to 2004, where he had responsibility for health-care, Social Security, education, and welfare programs.
   At EPPC, Mr. Capretta studies and provides commentary on a wide range of public policy and economic issues, with a focus on health-care and entitlement reform, U.S. fiscal policy, and global population aging. His essays and articles have appeared in numerous print and online publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico, and The Weekly Standard, among others. Mr. Capretta has also testified before Congress and appears frequently as a commentator on prominent television and radio programs. Mr Capretta is also a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation.”

   He’s written a book on health care, “Why Obamacare is Wrong for America,” available at http://eppc.org/publications/bookID.68/book_detail.asp

   And, he supports Romney Care (what I call GOP Care).
   • July 12, 2012 - 9:31 pm Lynn

     http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/07/more-evidence-gop-health-care-plan-still-dud