Non-American here, please explain the Trump/Congress healthcare situation.

[Quinton Overeem]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

 

[mixmastermo]

Basically, what Donald promised is something he can't deliver on. You can't get better healthcare, cover more people, and pay a fraction of the cost.

What Trump promised and what was ultimately offered were very different.

 

[Stitches4snitches]

Trump isn't being prevented from doing a job by Congress, Trump delegated the writing of that bill to a member of Congress that failed to deliver a bill that was good enough for the American people so the majority of Congress would not have voted for it.

The majority of American people didn't vote for Trump, his opposition received 3 million more votes than him, and the current Healthcare system in place now has an approval rating that is far higher than Trump's.

 

[Armbars]

Looks like Trump took a dump on Healthcare.

 

[HockeyBjj]

Cliffs: ObamaCare caused drastically higher health insurance rates for middle class
People are of course upset and want something different
The GOP proposed bill is nothing but Obamacare lite. It repeals it in name only but does nothing to make the cost go down, and in other areas is worse for coverage
Even a good chunk of Republicans realize the drafted bill is complete garbage and have opposed it, since they want to be re elected
Rather than letting the bill go to a vote where it would lose bigly even with a GOP controlled house and senate, Paul Ryan pulled it it try and save some of the embarrassment

Trump kept stupidly pushing people to vote and support this bill, even when the people who voted for Trump are saying they don't want it

Bill is off the table, my guess is that nothing else will happen to healthcare these next 4 years and Trump will spin it as "I tried to repeal Obamacare. It would have been great. But the swamp politicians wouldn't even vote on a new bill so now we're all stuck with Obamas fault"

 

[oldshadow]

Trump was not voted king and he can't order Congress to vote or pass anything. Congress works for the people that voted them in.

 

[chardog]

Cliffs: Health care in america is doomed

long version: we spend 17%+ of our GDP on HC, and until fixed, it's like eating a rotting cheese sandwich, it's not going to magically taste better.

 

[Higus]

Cliffs: Health care in america is doomed

long version: we spend 17%+ of our GDP on HC, and until fixed, it's like eating a rotting cheese sandwich, it's not going to magically taste better.

To put that in context for a non-American, the 17% is what the government pays for healthcare...in a system that forces people to pay for private insurance. If you include what people paid privately to that 17%, then look at what the rest of the comparable developed world pays for in percentage of GDP for state sponsored HC, you have to wonder what the hell is wrong with us.

 

[Quipling]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

Trump made a bunch of promises for healthcare. He did not come up with a plan to deliver those promises. Instead, he endorsed a plan by Paul Ryan - which was basically Obamacare with tax breaks for the wealthy and cost increases for the old - and acted like it met his promises.

This new plan was not popular. Democrats didn't like it because it had no advantages over Obamacare from their perspective, and was worse in several substantial ways. Some small number of Republicans had a similar perspective. And about three dozen other Republicans opposed it because it didn't go far enough. Congress isn't answerable to Trump, and doesn't have to do what he says. But he refused to negotiate (something Obama did do for Obamacare), or to allow time for Ryan to negotiate, and it failed.

An important thing to recognize is that Paul Ryan is not Trump's subordinate, any more than Samuel Alito is. He is less personally powerful, but is from a separate branch of government.

 

[KantoTerror]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

There are a lot of options regarding the Healthcare system...I haven't seen any explanation yet as to why they pushed for Ryan's bill. It was a complete disaster...it was a lose lose situation and pulling it is the best decision out of that.

 

[second sight]

the only way to fix this is to scrap obamacare, the democrats are going to cry and scream like little girls if they try it so they probably won't.

to leave provisions like not denying health coverage for preexisting conditions in the main health pool means most of obamacare will have to stay.

republicans say they will take the mandate to buy insurance away, no more fines for not having coverage. so now people will opt out until they need it.

all this talk I haven't heard a word about lowering premiums, giving individuals the shared buying power of large companies, cost controls, bringing back PPO's

I could fix this mess or at least do a lot better job than any of these crooks/clowns are doing

 

[touchedbyjab]

Cliffs: ObamaCare caused drastically higher health insurance rates for middle class
People are of course upset and want something different
The GOP proposed bill is nothing but Obamacare lite. It repeals it in name only but does nothing to make the cost go down, and in other areas is worse for coverage
Even a good chunk of Republicans realize the drafted bill is complete garbage and have opposed it, since they want to be re elected
Rather than letting the bill go to a vote where it would lose bigly even with a GOP controlled house and senate, Paul Ryan pulled it it try and save some of the embarrassment

Trump kept stupidly pushing people to vote and support this bill, even when the people who voted for Trump are saying they don't want it

Bill is off the table, my guess is that nothing else will happen to healthcare these next 4 years and Trump will spin it as "I tried to repeal Obamacare. It would have been great. But the swamp politicians wouldn't even vote on a new bill so now we're all stuck with Obamas fault"

Sums it up nicely. The whole thing was rushed and the bill was basically Obamacare but slightly tweaked.

 

[SouthoftheAndes]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

In addition to what Quipling said. Many in the GOP are blaming the House Freedom Caucus aka the 'tea party' which are hardcore anti-government, deregulation proponents, and practically laissez Faire economics they advocate.

The tea party folk have a good number of congressmen and they didn't like it because it didn't go far enough. They kept calling it Obamacare light.

A few 'moderate Republicans' were against it for being bad and cause it would likely cause them to loose reelection if it passed.

So now Obamacare stays until they come up with another better bill.

I think they will eventually repeal obamacare. Republicans solidly control the House and have a good number in the Senate and control the White House, and they will have House Control at least until 2018 midterm elections.

So they got time.

And whatever bill they do pass is likely to be better I'd imagine.

Trump made a bunch of promises for healthcare. He did not come up with a plan to deliver those promises. Instead, he endorsed a plan by Paul Ryan - which was basically Obamacare with tax breaks for the wealthy and cost increases for the old - and acted like it met his promises.

This new plan was not popular. Democrats didn't like it because it had no advantages over Obamacare from their perspective, and was worse in several substantial ways. Some small number of Republicans had a similar perspective. And about three dozen other Republicans opposed it because it didn't go far enough. Congress isn't answerable to Trump, and doesn't have to do what he says. But he refused to negotiate (something Obama did do for Obamacare), or to allow time for Ryan to negotiate, and it failed.

An important thing to recognize is that Paul Ryan is not Trump's subordinate, any more than Samuel Alito is. He is less personally powerful, but is from a separate branch of government.

Trump basically is a foreign policy president oh and build the wall and tax cuts. Maybe infrastructure.

 

[AznTrojan]

basically.. the republicans had a shit plan and no idea wtf do after 7 years hammering away at Obamacare..

 

[Armbars]

Trump was selling you guys some next level wolf tickets

 

[electricfuneral]

Does anybody remember Ryan's proposed budget a few years back ? I don't think he understands how government works

 

[Unsurprised Diaz]

Good thread here, and good question TS. I learned a lot from many of you.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

1. The president isn't king despite often making promises as if he were.
2. Trump promised some very contradictory things imo.
3. The US system is based on separation of powers, as Trump is learning the hard way.
4. Historically, Congressmen, who are the ones who stymied Trump and Ryan's plan, are considered more accountable than any other major elected position. They face election more often and they represent a much smaller number of people.

 

[Rational Poster]

To put that in context for a non-American, the 17% is what the government pays for healthcare...in a system that forces people to pay for private insurance. If you include what people paid privately to that 17%, then look at what the rest of the comparable developed world pays for in percentage of GDP for state sponsored HC, you have to wonder what the hell is wrong with us.

I don't understand how people can argue against a single payer system anymore. It just doesn't make sense.

We have a mostly private health insurance industry yet our government still manages to spend more as % of GDP on healthcare than every country with a single payer system.

 

[Cygnus A]

What's up everyone, I'd like you guys to tell me how is it possible :

The American citizens voted for Trump and his program (including the change concerning the healthcare system), but once in office, he wants to do the job as promised and voted by the people but can't do it because of folks under him?

WTF, how does that works? Are they accountable to anyone?

it is complex, but basically Trump made a lot of promises he can't keep. The US healthcare system is long due for an overhaul. Obama recognized this and made progress, although it caused other issues at the same time (i.e. raising cost for some individuals). The long term solution seems to be to get rid of the private health insurance industry altogether, but that is going to difficult if not impossible.

The republicans had 7 YEARS to come up with something better than Obamacare (which they all claim to hate). They couldn't come up with anything better, and in fact proposed something worse.