As fiscal talks resume, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) believes President Obama must show he's "serious" by putting the Affordable Care Act "on the table."
Cantor argued, "There is no question in my mind that [Obamacare] is the largest expansion of government programs that we've seen." He added that he specifically wants to see the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) eliminated.
My primary concern with Cantor's argument is that it's incoherent. Put aside politics, ideology, and the merits of the health care law and we're left with a simple proposition: the House Majority Leader believes the way to reduce the deficit is to increase the deficit.
It's really not complicated. The Affordable Care Act cuts the deficit by over $100 billion over the next decade, and several hundred billion dollars more in the following decade. If the goal is to reduce the deficit and improve the nation's finances, targeting the law is not an example of being "serious"; it's the opposite.
As for IPAB, this is nearly as ridiculous, and Cantor's comments reinforce the impression that the House Majority Leader simply hasn't taken the time to read up on the basics.
In the coming years, health care costs, specifically in Medicare, represent a genuine fiscal problem. As Paul Krugman explained a while back, "[W]e cannot afford a system in which Medicare in particular will pay for anything, especially when that's combined with an industry structure that gives providers a strong financial incentive to engage in excessive care."
The Obama administration's preferred solution is utilizing IPAB -- putting the difficult decisions about best practices and responsible use of tax dollars in the hands of qualified medical and health care professionals, free of the political process on Capitol Hill.
In theory, Cantor should be thrilled. Not only does the Affordable Care Act reduce the deficit, but IPAB reduces unnecessary entitlement spending and saves taxpayer money. But he's not thrilled at all -- on the contrary, he wants to eliminate the law, scrap the mechanism that saves money, and replace it with nothing.
"All I can say is that the president has got to get serious," Cantor told Fox News. And all I can say is that Cantor may not fully understand what "serious" means.
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First the president needs to define the terms of engagement.
Facts and evidence count. Magical thinking doesn't count. Delay after the Bush tax cuts expire don't count.
Corporate welfare is on the chopping block.
Social safety net "earned benefits" will NOT be cut. Contribution caps will float up as needed to keep programs solvent.
Dept. of Defense will be modernized to reflect the current threat to national security. Forget about massive ground wars.
And of course reinstate tax cuts for income under $250,000. Increase capital gains tax to parity with earned income tax. Increase tax on income over $250,000 by 4%.
Not at all surprising. Just went through an election process in which the vast majority (based on exit polling) of Americans favor REVENUE in the form of tax rate increases of income above $250k, closing of tax loopholes, and reasonable spending cuts. The President has reiterated that in every post victory addresses to the public, yet Cantor and his constituents don't see this as being "serious"? Evidence that living in a conservative bubble is an IQ zapper. I hope they can get off the stupidity train and start governing intelligently.
Just goes to prove the Republican obsession with the ACA is not about the budget or deficits or debt at all. It's about ideology, pure and simple.
It's about their hatred for Obama and their wish to destroy the Democratic party.
Their dream is a Plutocracy. They will lie, steal, or cheat to attain that.
This ignorant Tool, like all his compatriots on the Rabid Right, is quick to point out repeatedly that "we were re-elected as a majority in the House", but yet he overlooks the facts that they: A) LOST the Presidency (again); B) LOST seats in the House; C) LOST seats in the Senate; and D) failed to gain a majority in the total numbers of votes cast for all House races. The GOP is, in fact, sliding toward its own cliff.. a political relevancy cliff. They are a disaster of their own making and, if they fail to recognize this soon and don't wake up from their collective echo chamber slumber, they will be on course to LOSE THE HOUSE in 2014. Even Boehner himself said it, "ObamaCare is now the law of the land."
dave: boner said that. but he "walked-it-back" within minutes when confronted with the enormity of his heresy.
note: "walkin' it back" is the new republican version of "walkin' the walk" or maybe just a new exercise program.
I, for one, tweeted Mr. Cantor with a copy of this article and asked him to actually get serious about deficit reduction, if that's what he wanted, and support the ACA. It's not hard to do. I bet you all could do it, too. (Call me Troll if you wish, but I like to send facts and truths to those who tend to avoid such.)
I'm always baffled by the right's insistence that Obamacare is a government takeover of healthcare. Since when is sending an additional 30 million or more new customers to private insurance companies a government takeover? What exactly has the government done? It's told insurance companies that they can no longer refuse coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and that kids can stay on their parent's insurance until age 26. The IPAB does NOT constitute a "death panel", or anything of the sort. The insurance companies STILL have that power, unfortunately. They are the ones who can still say that they will or won't cover various treatments prescribed by your doctor, how long they will pay for you to stay in the hospital for various treatments, and you as a customer have no power over them. In the end, we should all wish we could have a government takeover of healthcare. It seems to work far better and cost less in every single other developed country where it has been implemented.
I for one, wouldn't mind seeing the ACA on the table to be replaced with only Single Payer, Medicare for all.
Tom 51, #32.1
Of course, that would be ideal. The ACA is just a beginning.
I hope.
SO the Republican are power tripping again. And have forgotten they LOST the election again. SO we will have to get out and vote them out again!
Cantor talks about the GOP being re-elected majority in the house, but fails to mention that the only way they were able to hold onto control is through gerrymandered districts. So, the idea of the GOP having a mandate is laughable.
They hope against all hope it ends up on the table, it's all a negotiating ploy to get something, anything.
For Democrats, there is no reason to put it on the table. Not one. Republicans are trying to escape the negotiations still wearing their skivvies.
OK, let me see if I am reading this correctly:
the Republican Leader of the House wants to scrap the individual mandate and the establishment of best practice guidelines while continuing to require that hospital ER's serve all critically ill patients that come through the door.
The result of these policy decisions is to allow people to forgo health insurance, demand treatments at a hospital, and skip out on a bill which in all likelihood will be padded with questionable treatments.
Why does the number two republican in the House want to foster a culture of free-loading, waste, fraud, and abuse?
What is wrong with Cantor? His party loss the election, but he puts forth demands like they won? Please President Obama don't back down.
Cantor, Ryan, Boehner etc are looking an awful lot like that character from Monty Python's Holy Grail - " 'tis but a flesh wound" -
OK President Obama, Republicans want a plan. Here's a good one. And add to this that investors don't create jobs because they have lower tax rates. They create jobs because people (middle class people) buy their products. We didn't fall for the Romney/Ryan lies in the election. Please don't fall for the Republican lies now that we elected you.
www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/opinion/buffett-a-minimum-tax-for-the-wealthy.html?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20121126&_r=0
Gerrymandering Districts is the only way "Mr Cantor" when will someone call them out? That's how you kept the "House"
I love this line from a friend. Republicans think the rich will work harder if you give them more money and the poor will work harder if you give them less!
Let's see the United States Supreme Court upheld ACA. Obama ran on the ACA and won. Obama rightly views it as his singular achievement. As it comes into effect people like it more and more. It reduces the deficit already.
Yeh, I am sure the President is going to cave on the ACA. Just as soon as pigs live on the roof of the White House.
Eric, you putz, the Affordable Care Act is the law. Stop beating a dead horse and get real, the days of obstructionism is dead and gone, unless of course you are not intelligent or honest enough to get it through that thick head of yours. The American people of tired of people like you. Either get with the program or start packing up your desk.
I will believe there is a debt crisis when the Dems offer entitlement cuts and the Republicans offer up defense cuts and tax increases. Its not a crisis when you want the other guy to shoulder the burden.
Another day, another insanity dink.. This is really going to get ugly before it gets better. These GOTP'rs need to shut up and get out of the way!
Cantor is known to have a lot of strange unrealistic beliefs!
[sarcasm]We will not let our ideas about the issues be dictated by fact checkers.[/sarcasm]
Other areas where the facts don't matter: Benghazi, Obama's supposed apology tour, and how decreasing taxes on the wealthy doesn't really grow the economy.
Still on Benghazi, eh? Wonder how long can republicans think they can milk that te te?
Republicans were responsible for blowing up the debt so it's not surprising that many of them are still using it only for political gain. I hope that the few members of the party who understand the economy and put the country's welfare first will be able to prevail.
He needs to be shipped back to "Gilligan''s island".Where him and the Mrs. can sip little martinis with the umbrellas. They then should take a gander in the hot tub. He isn't playing with a full deck. He's having a hard time finding out if he's going to survive, not this time.Back to the island for you, Thurston Howell.He's not sure if he's a boy or a girl.
Republicans cannot be trusted. You cannot trust Republicans.
Which of the above is Mister Cantor?
Re: People like Cantor are the problem and not a vital part of any solution.
Republican resistance to the Affordable Care Act is based in the fact that the act limits insurance company profits, and makes insurance companies responsible for fulfilling their contracts if a person's health goes bad. It's always about the money.