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So what's so bad about this bill, exactly? It isn't nearly what I wanted, or what progressives wanted, but it's still way better than the status quo. As far as I can tell, the Republican party has no alternative at all - their entire strategy and goal is to obstruct.
Here's the good stuff in the current bill:
o Subsidies to buy health insurance for lower income people
o Insurance exchanges which *may* lubricate the market a little bit.
o No more recission, exclusion for pre-existing conditions, or lifetime limits.
o Insurance must cover preventative care.
o No more medicare 'donut hole'
o Medicaid for 'pretty much' all of the poor.
Some stuff I'm not comfortable with:
o Individual mandate
o No employer mandate
I'd have preferred single payer, or at least 'public option' - although I have serious doubts about the viability of the public option idea.
Failing that, I think we should just get rid of the employer-based system (or rather, the incentives for it), and let people shop for their own insurance. If we're going to be all 'free market', have an actual market.
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