WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Republicans on Wednesday presented what they called a "sorely needed" alternative to Democrats' proposals to overhaul health care.
Republicans want to make sure all Americans have access to affordable coverage, Rep. Eric Cantor, the House minority whip, said Wednesday.
"We do so by making sure we keep down costs and incorporate the ability for folks to pool together to access lower costs, to bring private sector into the game and keep government out," Cantor said.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans have detailed how they would pay for their proposals. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, said his party's plan will cost "far less" than that of the Democrats and "provide better results for the American people."
From CNN Politics
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And the cost is????
An idea! An idea! Let's put up a statue! The GOP submitted an idea!
I'm so glad both parties are talking about how to make health care better as opposed to why we shouldn't do anything!
It'll be less costly because it won't cover everyone. If they plan to give tax credits to "taxpayers," what happens to the people who are below poverty level, are unemployed, or pay no taxes for other reason? Sounds like a plan to do nothing for the folks who really need help. Dave Camp is my Congressman, and he voted against Bush about 1% of the time...he will never support any bill that covers everyone if that means someone gets covered at government expense.
Well, whatever plan they offer you can be sure it will be in favor of big business and rape middle class America.
Once again, much ado about nothing, with no details or figures.
Hmmmm – a few words in this one cause me major concerns. Seems to favor the top earners in the country - I'll wait and see, thanks.
Hoooo Boy!!!
Here we go again the republican Health care will be the same as their budget, Same old ,same Old, low taxes for the rich, no new ideas and no numbers to backup their plan.
The republicans had 8 years to implament they own health care plan but bush give us a madication plan that hasn,t work from day one. Where were the republicans with their BRILIANT IDEAS then.
Let me guess. Tax cuts again. Guys – tax cuts don't help if you are unemployed. Just for once – for once Republicans – come up with something different.
How about making both sides of the aisle present how they plan to pay for a bill before presenting them. I mean how do you discuss a bill if you have no clue how it will be funded? This seems to be the way of Washington anymore...
Just another EMPTY Republican plan ...
A lot of meaningless words with NO real action ...
The Party Of NO ... at it's best
Back on the refundable tax credits again, huh? First, McCain's plan of $2500 doesn't come anywhere near what private, individual coverage would cost. It would need to be raised big time, or at the very least make it illegal to refuse someone with preexisting conditions. That would cut down administrative costs of insurers substantially because they won't be spending all this money to find out who is going to be a profitable 'client'.
Second, a refundable tax credit won't mean squat for the low income people that cannot get together the money up front to buy the insurance. How is a person living pay check to pay check going to benefit from a tax credit for purchasing insurance?
. . . more condescending crap from the Party of Limbaugh . . . yawn . . . not worth reading.
Democrats won't like it!! Democrats want free coverage for many that will be paid for by the taxpayers. They think the middle class on up should pay for everyone else. Middle class America will soon become the poverty level. Yup, Change you can believe in!!
The point is for EVERYONE to have healthcare
This has been a controversy for several decades and still no one could fix what is broken... Healthcare in this Country is one of the best, but for millions of legal Americans who cannot afford the cost of good health insurance. Medicaid is part of welfare, Medicare is part of Social Security. Many doctors do not take it, sad but true... the why is because they do not pay the doctors what they want. Health clinics? it is not that good, many Doctors get frustrated and get grumpy.
Democrats and Republicans get together and both parties need to put their differences aside, stop acting like children and think of some one who has a serious problem and cannot get real care, not heading to the ER and get one time help, and they usually tells you to go to your Family Doctor, how can that happen if you do not have one... One who can care for someone who could have a life threatening illness. Great... The United States is suppose to be the riches Country in the world, but the poorest who cannot help it;s citizen...
I've worked in the Health Insurance Industry for 17 years. Mr. Camps proposal for refundable tax credits for lower-income Americans to "subsidize" health care expenses is a ridiculous idea. Physician and Pharmaceutical cost is astronomical, where is the discussion on reeling this in? Perhaps too many of our political leaders pockets are lined with dollars from the AMA and Pfizer's PAC? Example of an outrageous cost, open heart surgery with a single bypass runs an average of 500K. With "lower-income" Americans struggling to buy a gallon of milk that's $3.00+, how would Mr. Camps suggest we cover 500K and will the tax credit cover that?! What planet is Mr. Camps living on, obviously not the same as us "lower-income" Americans. Although for him I'm sure it's comforting to not to have to worry about Healthcare since our politicians have there own system.
Two pages? Is that it? It seems that the GOP is still struggling with ideas. Just like their budget, 19 pages of talking points without dollar figues. What a joke.
The bullet point missed " ..and all Republican lawmakers will immediately opt out of the government subsidized health care plan" and create their own pool.
All the points under "the Republican bill also.." are all taken directly from President Obama's plan.
If they haven't cost it out, how do they know it will be less expensive? Everyone knows it will be by taxing health benefits.
So far I've seen little details about any plan. This leaves me with more questions than answers. How would anything they propose lower health care costs? I bet the insurance companies love this plan!
Ideas? Wow! Even if they're not good ideas or have addressed what the GOP is accusing Obama of ignoring - How To Pay for the Plan - they are ideas. Now if the Republicans can show a benefit to their ideas over the Democrats, they might have something. I'm sure I'll hear about this on Faux News.
The proposed health care reform proposed by the Republicans is just another way that the Party of No is proposing to deny health benefits to those who can least afford to pay for health coverage and are those most in need of such coverage. The Republicans are telling the working poor that purchasing health insurance will be extremely difficult if not impossible.
What happens to those who do not have the money to pay their premium when it is due? How can these tax credits be used to pay the insurance premium? Can they contact their insurance company and tell them that they cannot pay their premium until their tax credit comes through and then might have the money to pay that premium? What if the need for paying for other necessities, such as food and clothing, is a more pressing priority? Will these folks lose their coverage?
I want answers to these questions and I want them now.
Surprise! A Republican plan that does absolutely nothing to offer real reform, but that does make sure the private insurers will continue to grow their profits. Make HSA's more accessible, i.e. continue high deductibles that people can not afford. Take Medicaid benefits and make them portable, i.e. offer poor people a chance to pay more money so the private insurers make bigger profits. Offer state insurance pools; if that works like property insurance state insurance pools, premiums will just continue to go up. And then of course, there is the good old tax credit idea. Real reform can not happen unless we give the private insurers a run for their money with a public insurance option.
No surprises here. The Republicans' plan transfers taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Have we seen this show before? Did it work? Yes, for the neocons and their corporate cronies.
Republicans are doing what they do best, benefiting big business and forget about people needs. We need to change the status quo, which is what causing the cost of health care to rocketing. It is time to present legislation that has in mind the majority of the American people, which is what Democrats are doing so well.
I personally would not buy anything from a Republican. Sorry but after the past eight years of Bush and Republicans, I just feel that they can't be trusted.
Because our family chose to take less money to work for the government so we could get healthcare and retirement, now both parties want to tax our middle income family to pay for illegals to have healthcare. TERM LIMITS
Isn't it just too fascinating that a bunch of Congressmen...Senators and Representatives, mainly on the right, but some also on the left, that benefit HUGELY, every year, and apparently quite satisfactorily from a "government run health program"...which ALL Congressmen enjoy for FREE, should be the very FIRST to decry a similar program for the American citizens who are the very people that PAY for that perk? Did you ever stop to wonder? Guess who's paying them off to say "NO"...just guess!
Don't the American people deserve as good healthcare as their representatives in Congress? Well...don't they?
Libs, dems and Obamabot will hate it. The republicans want control of health care to reside primarily with the individual. Libs, Dems and Obamabots want / need someone to think for them.
I don't care what GOP says or does. We need to fix this health care mess.....all these years are enough to put up this nonsense. IT IS THE TIME TO FIX THIS HEALTH CARE MESS. People are seriously suffering without health care. Legal robbers are lobbying. These are hospitals, AMA, insurance groupings...etc., all are lobbying for their greed. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND CONTROL. PUT STRICTURES ON THESE THINGS. IT IS A MUST ON GOVERNMENT PART TO CONTROL HEALTH CARE. IT IS THE TIME FOR SUCH THINGS. TO CUT THE COSTS, PUT AMERICAN PAs IN RURAL AREA GENERAL MEDICINE PRACTICE, GIVING AUTONOMY. These physician assistants are the best doctors, they put lot of time with patients give good treatment. This way we can have competition, and hire less number of foreign medical grads. All these foreign medical grads are from India are from donation medical schools and just buying diplomas. We need to remember this. it cuts immigration too....
For starters, limiting malpractice insurance, this passed when I lived in Texas, and of course medical association was all for it, and sang praises of how much lower the costs of health insurance would be...then reality set it, and it still had astronomical increases. Given the track record of the last medicare addition the GOP was responsible for, I simply have no faith in them. (Notice there is nothing there about negotiating prices for prescriptions...typical GOP).
The problem with the GOP plan is that it won't be a "freebie". The libs want nothing less than another unfunded and unfundable entitlement program.
Nothing new, just a veiled attempt to make sure insurance companies maintain the right to gouge citizens.
OK, overall, not bad. I'm still not convinced that this will lead to lowering the cost to the average Joe. Tax credits don't necessarily lower the overall cost. It doesn't provide for issues with existing conditions. It doesn't do anything about denial of coverage.
they give a summary but no details. Something like their budget of 18 pages given out by bonehead boner. The guys are jokes
Once again absolutely no real plan from the Repubs. They role out their decade old plan of tax credits. The last tax credit plan by the presidential candidate called for a $5,000 tax credit for a $15,000 expense. Where the tax payer would get the $10,000 difference was left for everyone to wonder. Maybe it would come from workers ever decreasing salaries. Or maybe it would come from their ever decreasing portfolios. What it would really due would get corporate America off the hook (except for paid plans for their executives) and would leave even more Americans with no or poor coverage. Once again, not a real plan but a sham.
There yoy go again with those darn tax credits.
The GOP plan is a major cop out. What they're basically saying is:
DO NOTHING.
As a person who is paying for her mother's hospital bills and watching her suffer, this tells me they're REALLY out of touch.
I'd rather implement Obama's plan and find a way to reduce the trillion dollar deficit after it's in place. Heck! maybe his plan will pay for itself since it would have a much better infrastructure than before.
So where's the effort to reduce overall costs? What about pre-existing conditions? It still leaves the decisions in the hands of people who's incentive is to make a profit (i.e. avoid paying claims). How about incenting providers on actual health improvements.
These aren't bad ideas to throw in the mix. Doesn't sound like a plan so much as a brainstorming list of ideas. But good on the Repugs, of whom I'm usually very critical, for at least coming up with something positive and not just hollaring Obama=Bad.
I wish these clowns would go join the circus. The GOP is joke, only no one is laughing.
May be less costly, but sounds a lot more complicated with a lot of Beauracratic red tape. And will it take care of such unfair practices as not covering people with pre-existing conditions. Will it take care of insurance companies trying to take the place of doctors and telling them what the can prescribe and not prescribe? I doubt it. It sounds awful to me.
Anything proposed by Republicans to help the poor does not sound like a good plan to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do they even know what poor is?
BAsic same old plan , Increase incentives for people, especially those in lower income brackets or over 55, to build up Healthcare Savings Accounts. Not taking into account if people could do that save for health care they would have a healthcare provider already. And the fact that people come in and out of lower middle class based on income and circumstance that happens every day in normal people lives. Have you become such an elitist that you forgotten about the everyday person. I'm sure some of these every day people are in your Family as well.
Why can't we have a plan like yours senator or congressperson. the American people deserve, what we pay for you, don't we?
The GOP healthcare bill is just another WATERED DOWN piece of junk with no purpose than to get them through the next election cycle.
They don't really want to change ANYTHING.
Well guess what GOP? Most of the country is ready, willing, and able to fight for substantive reforms.
We can't afford to wait any longer on this issue, and half-measures are not enough!
Stop appearing on TV Media Shows without examples, examples, examples of how to fix the healthcare issues.
And if the GOP gave a dang about healthcare, then something should have been done 6 years ago.
"Let states, small businesses and others group together to offer lower-cost health care plans."
Except it will not solve the problem that we are having right now in that Health Care is a for-profit business. Over time, you will see an inevitable shift to higher prices as greed and profit margins come into play.
How can they criticize and then come up with a half baked plan with no cost to it. It also sounds very much like John McCain's plan which was rejected.... Didn't they do that before with their alternative budget? They need to stop this kneejerk reaction all the time. Enough already GOP
Band-aids. Nothin' but band-aids. This is not REFORM. These people are wandering in the wilderness.
GOP = Got N0 Plan.
Everything that they have proposed just amounts to the same exact thing they have proposed in the past. Protection for the rich, and tax cuts while allowing some small things that the Democrats suggested just to shut the Democrats up.
The answer is no.
this is a good one what a joke!
My only question to the GOP is that if you have such a great health care plan and welfare of the people in mind what were you doing for the past eight years. I have not heald much about health care reforms during that time.
Super. Perhaps this will be like the alternate budget proposal...the one with no numbers. The health plan, that NOW they try to come up with. 8 years wasnt enough before, 8 more years of derailing any attempts in the clinton administration....
Now they want to help? How bout this..SHUT YOUR MOUTHS
Are there really any intelligent people in this world that would waste their time watching Fox News all day. What a bunch of idiots on that network. They are the Biggest Loser. Who could really believe someone as ignorant as Bill O'Reilly. He doesn't even give his guests a chance to answer his questions. Why doesn't he go into a padded room and ask himself the questions. Then we don't have to listen to his ill-mannered diatribes.
The republican answer for everything = tax cuts
Interesting how the Republicans ignore health care until the Democrats actually try to do something. Now suddenly–they have a plan!
This is the same nonsense John McCain proposed while campaigning & voters didn't buy it then & won't buy it now. We need help now, not later! Waiting for a tax credit next time we file our income tax is not an option!
The GOP is so out of the loop...they keep insisting that "doctors and patients" make the medical decisons....when the reality is that the insurance companies make the decisons and ration healthcare already. These elites have a 'golden' health care plan most of us have no access to.
Let me guess they want to cut taxes for the rich, and put all the costs onto the poor so that it cannot possibly succeed in helping anyone, then they will blame the Democrats for the failure.
I bet the numbers will be missing again!!!!!
As someone with a pre-existing condtion (caused by genetics and not lifestyle), I can't afford to seek medical insurance in the private sector. Either the costs are too high, it won't cover the condition I need it for, or both.
Thus, the GOP's plan does nothing for me and I can't support it any more than I could support McCain's health care plans during the election.
But it does who once again that there is no problem that the GOP can't "solve" with a tax cut or tax credit.
"Republicans have not yet determined key details, including the amount of those tax credits or who precisely could be eligible."
No kidding. The Pubbies didn't include details but they know it will be less expensive. This reminds one of the GnOP's 13 page Federal Budget.
We do have two favorite GOP ideas, tax cuts/credits for the wealthy and the transfer of government funds to private industry through "Medicaid transfer". That sounds suspiciously like "school vouchers" the method through which the GOP is trying to destroy public education or the failed GOP attempt to put Social Security dollars into the stock market.
If the GOP finds a way to siphon off government dollars to hand to their major campaign contributors, they're always going to vocally support that program.
This makes a lot more sense than taxing my health care, just to give it away to people who won't work. I pay for my own healthcare and I don't see it as a right for everyone to be provided for.
This is the party of status quo, nothing more, nothing less. Why don't they admit they don't want any change. Afterall, isn't that pretty much the definition of conservative - conserve what is, resist change, even if for the better? I know people like this, even have family members like this, people who live in constant fear of anything different. Makes one wonder how they must dread going out into the world each day, not knowing if they'll return safely to their little cocoons. How sad.
Thats not living. Thats just existing. What a waste of life.
Count on the Republicans to prop up an inefficient and wasteful system that fails more and more Americans every day. Oh, but what's that? Major GOP donors and supporters are getting rich off of all that pointless paperwork, arbitrary benefit modificatins and misery? Say no more! Bad, bad health consumers! It's all your fault! Claim denied!
Thus, Camp and Republicans are waiting to see the relative expense of different proposals before committing to specifics.
Why break with the present tradition set by the Dems, don't read it, just vote yes.
Thus, Camp and Republicans are waiting to see the relative expense of different proposals before committing to specifics.
Why break with the present tradition set by the Dems, don't read it, just vote yes.
It is the same old tired plan of the private sector providing coverage at a cost to all Americans. Yhe private insurance sector is the reason we find ourself in this mess. A public option isthe only way that will help correct this nightmare.
I congratulate the GOP for actually contributing something rather than simply saying no. I have not seen this specific proposal but anything they have written so far boils down to these tax credits and deregulating the insurance industry (and calling it choice). The tax credits haven't even come close to paying for health insurance and deregulating the insurance industry is a recipe for disaster just as it was for the financial industry.
It's rather odd that they say they haven't determined the cost but also say it will be much cheaper. It's also odd they haven't figured out how they will pay for it. It's a lot like having a budget with no income or expense numbers. Doh!
This is REAl bipartisanship. This is a REAL idea that achieves the goal but saves 600BILLION of our childrens dollars!!!
To all who have been saying the Repubs were only giving tax breaks to the rich, check out this proposal. It gives REFUNDABLE tax credits to lower income Americans. That means you use the credit to wipe out your income tax liability and THEN GET A CHECK FOR THE UNUSED CREDIT to help pay for insurance. I still don't know how we can pay for ANY new program, but this is a start.
Lap dog ABC does not want anyone offering an alternative health care plan to the American people, hence obama will be hendered with facts about the costs of his plan. Just another tax and spend from obama and the demorats. Its like he claims to have grown/saved jobs of about 160,000 but there have been 2.5 million jobs lost and unemployment has grown to 9.4 percent when he said that it would not reach 8.0 percent if his stimulus package was passed. Well that was like passing gas.
Finally, after all these years, the republicans have written a plan for health care reform.
Everyone in the USA knows we can not ever trust the GOP ever again.
Health Care is a LUXURY . . . it cost 500.00 a month for me and my wife; Major Medical with a $10,000 deductible. No Vision, Perscription, C0-Pay, No Perk's at all.
We are independently employed, own our own business of 24 years and our income is down 60% due to the economic situation.
WE STILL PAY PREMIUMS BECAUSE WE MAY NEED INSURANCE COVERAGE SOME DAY – No Help From the Government except the annual tax credit April 15th.
If ALL PEOPLE in this country (WORKED) paid income taxes (POOR or NOT) . . . and the taxes were allocated properly . . . there could be a tax credit April 15th for the Poor too! Fact is, anybody can be Poor!
In America – all It takes is ambition, desire and a good work ethic to elevate from poverty – any one can do it!
Gime – Gime – Gime; . . . if you don't or have not worked, paid taxes – you don't get Social Security, Medicaid or Health Care – DREAM –
You're not entilted to it!
CH
"Tax credits to lower income Americans," eh? I think I remember GOP opposition to tax cuts for Americans who don't make much money on the grounds that they don't actually pay taxes, so any tax credit would be an outright payment from the government.
It sounds like the Republican party doesn't want people to be able to afford health care. This pooling idea would have been great if it had come during a healthy economy. And the automatic insurance idea sounds great. However, both these ideas depend on people being employed and businesses, large or small, being able to afford insurance (even pooled) in a terrible economy.
This is the same old GOP catering to the insurance companies that's are the root of our health care crisis. We need single payer health insurance run by the federal government. Americans should all have the same health care that these same GOP senators and congressman haves and that they want to deny to thr
Rest of the country. Universal health care should be seen as a matter of national security.