Here are the two principles that guide Republican thinking about health care policy:
1. No one has a right to health care. Health care is just another widget in the economy, subject to market forces and available to those who can afford it. Can’t afford it? Go to the ER -- or to jail.
2. Health care policy, tax policy, and economic regulations are designed to transfer wealth, income and purchasing power from those who have little to those who already have much.
The debate within the Republican party is about numbers, not principles. The debate is about how many people can be deprived of health insurance (and therefore of health care) and how much economic hardship can be inflicted on the lower and middle classes before a political cost is incurred by Republican office holders.
During the campaign and transition, Trump promised simultaneous repair/replace, seamless transition, universal coverage, lower costs and better health care. Shame on anyone who believed him. Ever.
(Re-posted)