Obama declares the Senate health care bill, “a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America,” and he’s right

Well, after weeks and weeks of secret discussions, Senate Republicans today shared a draft of their their health care bill, which, if passed, would replace Obamacare. Knowing the bill would be unpopular, the White House barred the news media from airing the press conference live. And, in hopes of diverting attention, Trump, at roughly the same time, took to Twitter to announce that, yes, he’d been lying a few weeks back when he’d suggested that he had secret tapes of him and former FBI Director James Comey discussing the Russia investigation. [According to Newt Gingrich, this was just an innocent little “bluff” on the part of Trump, who was, according to the former Speaker of the House, only “trying to rattle Comey.” Or, to put it a little differently, this was an attempt at witness intimidation on the part of the President.] Fortunately, though, the media, at least for the most part, stayed focused on the Senate health care bill, which the AARP was quick to label “harmful”. And with good reason, too. To quote former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough, the legislation “raises deductibles, cuts coverage and slashes Medicaid,” all of which are things that the President promised the legislation wouldn’t do. And it hits older Americans particularly hard… According to our friend Charles Gaba, who studies these things, a 60-year-old earning $37,000 would go from paying roughly $3,600 a year for a “silver” plan today, to paying roughly $6,000 for a “bronze” one under the proposed Senate bill. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg… Before we get into details, though, I wanted to share the following letter from former President Barack Obama, which was just posted to social media.

Our politics are divided. They have been for a long time. And while I know that division makes it difficult to listen to Americans with whom we disagree, that’s what we need to do today.

I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure what’s really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.

We didn’t fight for the Affordable Care Act for more than a year in the public square for any personal or political gain – we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course.

Nor did we fight for it alone. Thousands upon thousands of Americans, including Republicans, threw themselves into that collective effort, not for political reasons, but for intensely personal ones – a sick child, a parent lost to cancer, the memory of medical bills that threatened to derail their dreams.

And you made a difference. For the first time, more than ninety percent of Americans know the security of health insurance. Health care costs, while still rising, have been rising at the slowest pace in fifty years. Women can’t be charged more for their insurance, young adults can stay on their parents’ plan until they turn 26, contraceptive care and preventive care are now free. Paying more, or being denied insurance altogether due to a preexisting condition – we made that a thing of the past.
We did these things together. So many of you made that change possible.

At the same time, I was careful to say again and again that while the Affordable Care Act represented a significant step forward for America, it was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts – and that if Republicans could put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it.

That remains true. So I still hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress who remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win, that there’s a reason we all chose to serve in the first place, and that hopefully, it’s to make people’s lives better, not worse.

But right now, after eight years, the legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite. It would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it. That’s not my opinion, but rather the conclusion of all objective analyses, from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which found that 23 million Americans would lose insurance, to America’s doctors, nurses, and hospitals on the front lines of our health care system.

The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It’s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.

Simply put, if there’s a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family – this bill will do you harm. And small tweaks over the course of the next couple weeks, under the guise of making these bills easier to stomach, cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation.

I hope our Senators ask themselves – what will happen to the Americans grappling with opioid addiction who suddenly lose their coverage? What will happen to pregnant mothers, children with disabilities, poor adults and seniors who need long-term care once they can no longer count on Medicaid? What will happen if you have a medical emergency when insurance companies are once again allowed to exclude the benefits you need, send you unlimited bills, or set unaffordable deductibles? What impossible choices will working parents be forced to make if their child’s cancer treatment costs them more than their life savings?

To put the American people through that pain – while giving billionaires and corporations a massive tax cut in return – that’s tough to fathom. But it’s what’s at stake right now. So it remains my fervent hope that we step back and try to deliver on what the American people need.

That might take some time and compromise between Democrats and Republicans. But I believe that’s what people want to see. I believe it would demonstrate the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines. And I believe that it’s possible – if you are willing to make a difference again. If you’re willing to call your members of Congress. If you are willing to visit their offices. If you are willing to speak out, let them and the country know, in very real terms, what this means for you and your family.

After all, this debate has always been about something bigger than politics. It’s about the character of our country – who we are, and who we aspire to be. And that’s always worth fighting for.

[And, yes, kids, that’s what real presidents used to sound like.]

Make no mistake, this Republican bill was not drafted with any thought as to what the American people wanted or needed. It was drafted with one question in mind – “What can we get away with?” And we cannot allow the Republicans in the Senate to get away with it. We need to draw attention to this legislation, and let people know how it will likely affect their families. Here, with that in mind, are a few specific examples from Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

This Republican bill, says Casey, will decimate Medicaid:

Page 86. Decimating Medicaid. pic.twitter.com/bRKuoMPCy5

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 22, 2017

And end protections for pre-existing conditions:

Page 135. This allows states to let insurance companies charge you more because of a pre-existing condition. pic.twitter.com/sKXdBNdxsg

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 22, 2017

And raise deductibles:

This means higher costs before your insurance kicks in, also known as higher deductibles. pic.twitter.com/427Mpa0wfD

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 22, 2017

While we still don’t have a CBO score yet, and don’t know exactly how many people would lose their coverage if this bill should become law, we know already that a lot of people will be hurt. And why? To cut taxes on the wealthy.

Again, this has nothing to do with what the American people want, need or deserve, and everything to do with a desire on the part of Republicans to make good on their promises to members of the donor class – the wealthy individuals whose financial contributions keep them in office. [This is another great reminder of why we need to get the money out of American politics, but, for the time being, we need to focus on killing this bill.] Fortunately, people are beginning to take notice. Organizations like the AARP are informing their members, and people are beginning to engage in civil disobedience… Speaking of which, 43 were arrested during a protests outside Mitch McConnell’s Senate office this afternoon, many of whom were pulled from their wheelchairs and dragged out of the building. Here, if you missed it, is a little of the documentation.

Protesters with disabilities stage a "die-in" over cuts to Medicaid outside of Sen. Mitch McConnell's office. pic.twitter.com/Tk94QHb6kY

— Seth Lemon (@Seth_Lemon) June 22, 2017

A horrific metaphor for Trumpcare: this disabled woman literally being ripped from her wheelchair. #StopTrumpcare pic.twitter.com/F5kmz8rnCv

— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) June 22, 2017

Security is quite literally dragging people away from outside McConnell's office pic.twitter.com/70uJ4P88rS

— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) June 22, 2017

This is the seminal image of our battle. She’s being arrested for protesting ACA repeal outside McConnell’s office. https://t.co/MCmZQSkt1I pic.twitter.com/50bkiUcmAo

— John Aravosis (@aravosis) June 22, 2017

This is America in 2017. This is what we’ve become. This is what we have to end, not just for ourselves, but for future generations. Spread the word. And shut down the Senate switchboard.

[The photo at the top of the post was taken in the White House rose garden after the House version of Trumpcare was passed. Trump later would say that the legislation, which, according to CBO estimates, would rob 23 million Americans of their health care, was “mean.” He then urged the Senate to do something better. And, by all accounts, they did not.]