23
Everything We Know about BCRA is Useless
July 19, 2017
Show Notes
It seems like BCRA is dead in the water, but we still decided to do a podcast about it.
Pre-show notes
BCRA is dead:
- Lee and Morran are the third and fourth senators against BCRA
- McConnell moving forward with repeal and delay
- CBO score of 2015 full repeal bill
Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA)
Before we begin the show, Ruchit hawks wares on Amazon India Bazaar in a post-pre-show. Then, we pretend like BCRA is still alive.
Changes from last draft:
- Adopt Cruz amendment.
- Insurers say that Cruz amendment is “unworkable in any form” and will lead to millions of folks terminated in insurance.
- Cruz offers legislation to rename street
- Paul Krugman: Ted Cruz’s Giant Leap Into the Known
- Reverse proposal to eliminate the 3.9% investment tax and 0.9% payroll tax on wealthier americans, but still retaining plenty of tax cuts for the wealthy
- Replace ACA cost-sharing subsidies with a $182 billion fund to do something similar to the cost-sharing subsidies
- The Polar Payoff. See also Vox: “The Kodiak Kickback” is a $2B payoff just for Alaska
- Contrary to the beliefs of Ruchit and Antonin Scalia, the Kornhusker Kickback was nixed from Obama Care
- HSAs can be used to pay insurance premiums
- $45 billion to combat opioid addiction (but, due to the Medicaid cuts, this is still net less funding for opioid addiction compared to no change in law)
- It has a new provision allowing people to use tax credits to buy catastrophic plans with extremely high deductibles that cover no routine care.
- It replaces the ACA’s subsidies with stingier tax credits based on what high-deductible plans cost and allows insurers to charge older people more than they can now.
Will BCRA pass?
We predict yes, and we are wrong.
- Greg Sargent on choice facing Senators
- Senator Susan Collins of Maine has gone almost as far, saying that the bill cuts too much and that only major revisions could win her over.
- McCain’s surgery delays vote on bill
- Kasich spokesman: Pence’s healthcare claims ‘false’
- Ben Sasse wants to repeal and delay
Pre-sidebars
Before the sidebars, Ruchit contemplates buying a planter.
- Massive iceberg breaks off from Antartica.
- Mr. Smith goes to Greenland
Sidebars
TJ: 2017, Disney is coming out with a new DuckTales show.
- David Tennant
- Doctor Who
- Broadchurch
- First female Doctor is Jodie Whittaker
As a bonus sidebar, DuckTales Theme Song sung by the new cast
Ruchit: Kid does presidential impressions for his middle school graduation. This is from the summer of 2016.
AJ: DeliMan
- Ziggy Gruber at Kenny & Ziggy’s Deli
After show
In the after show, we discuss Indian cooking implements.