Monday, January 16, 2017

Brace Yourselves: It's Going to Be Trumpcare

We are will not be getting a free market in healthcare. Apparently, we will just be getting a different form of government intrusion into the healthcare system under Donald J. Trump.

According to the Washington Post, Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid.

Notes The Post:
Trump’s plan is likely to face questions from the right, following years of GOP opposition to further expansion of government involvement in the health-care system...The objectives of broadening access to insurance and lowering health-care costs have always been in conflict, and it remains unclear how the plan that the incoming administration is designing — or ones that will emerge on Capitol Hill — will address that tension...

Trump said his plan for replacing most aspects of Obama’s health-care law is all but finished. Although he was coy about its details — “lower numbers, much lower deductibles” — he said he is ready to unveil it alongside Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“It’s very much formulated down to the final strokes. We haven’t put it in quite yet but we’re going to be doing it soon,” Trump said. He noted that he is waiting for his nominee for secretary of health and human services, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), to be confirmed. That confirmation rests with the Senate Finance Committee, which has not yet scheduled a hearing.

Much lower deductibles?  So is Trump setting the rules on this rather than market forces? And how does he intend to pay for the lower deductibles for those "who can't pay for insurance themseleves"?

Sounds like horrific central planning to me.

 -RW

5 comments:

  1. Can't wait for all the Art of the Deal ex post facto justifications from Trump supporters on this. Just the first, in what will be a long line of bad policies. I'm sure the Trumpers will abandon these policies as quickly and as strongly as they embraced dear leader, no?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clearly these people have no interest in reducing state power, and only want a Republican strongman.

    They're worse than the neocons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So long as the US government reduces the amount of bombing and invading then I see good results. He may not be as bad as Hillary Clinton would have. Only time will tell.

      Delete
    2. This week will certainly be another magic act with Donald Trump on stage. Again, only time will tell.

      Delete
    3. I hope you're right. I just wish he seemed as gung-ho about ending military interventionism as he appears to be about restricting Americans' economic choices.

      Delete