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What the GOP Ought To Do After The 60-40 Cloture Vote on Health Care

By: AndrewHyman (Diary)  |  December 21st, 2009 at 02:13 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Now that the U.S. Senate has just voted 60-40 for cloture on the Democratic health care bill, I think the main thing the GOP needs to do is offer a substitute bill that ensures all Americans get critical life-saving care without breaking the bank. That would give more members of Congress cover to derail the upcoming reconciliation process, and would instead hold out the prospect of a real bipartisan effort.

Without a solid GOP alternative bill, the best the GOP can hope for is probably the bill that survived a cloture vote tonight, with perhaps some Stupak language included (which would be a definite improvement).  I don’t think it’s enough for the GOP to simply advocate an incremental one-step-at-a-time approach, without indicating what those steps will be.

If the GOP wants to take the position that the federal government does not have constitutional power to enact universal insurance coverage, then that’s a perfectly legitimate position, but it does not excuse the GOP from presenting an alternative plan that could be approved by both Congress and willing states. Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution gives Congress general power to approve interstate agreements, so the GOP could propose a joint federal-state health care agreement.

One thing I’d like to see is a clause saying that illegal aliens are not covered by the bill, and if the courts determine that any part of the bill is unconstitutional because it does not cover illegal aliens then the whole bill becomes void. Care for illegal aliens ought to be a separate matter from this legislation.  Other provisions might include a ban on insurance denials due to pre-existing conditions, and a portability requirement so that people will not lose coverage if they leave their jobs.

The main GOP argument against the Democratic proposal has been that it is unaffordable for taxpayers and the country as a whole; i.e. that it would break the bank. Or, as Senator McCain puts it, the Democratic plan amounts to inter-generational theft.  So, let’s have an alternative plan that does not commit inter-generational theft.

The Constitution prohibits states from entering into any interstate health care agreement without the consent of Congress: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.”  So, even if Congress alone lacks power to ensure universal health care coverage, Congress combined with the states has plenty of power.

Besides including Stupak language, a GOP bill ought to avoid a command-and-control scheme, in favor of a market-oriented scheme. In other words, it shouldn’t be excessively bureaucratic and intrusive. And, if the essential goal is to make health insurance affordable for everyone, then a million words of legalese are not needed.

COMMENTS

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  • Uma Richie

    Go redo your homework. If you think that no one in the GOP put together an alternative bill in the past 11 months, you do not have any business posting on this board. You didn’t even bother to look did you? You swallowed the meme of the idea-free, obstructionist GOP and regurgitated it here.

    Your lack of intellectual curiosity confirms my suspicions about Obama supporters.

    • AndrewHyman

      I’ve voted for every GOP presidential nominee since my vote for GHW Bush over Dukakis.

      The House GOP did indeed propose a set of alternative solutions. See here. The Congressional Budget Office found that, by 2019, according to that GOP alternative, “the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would be reduced by about 3 million relative to current law, leaving about 52 million nonelderly residents uninsured.” See here.

      I think the GOP needs to do more in order to expand health coverage in this country, IF the GOP wants to stop the Democratic plan that attained cloture this evening. Look at it as the lesser of two evils, if yoiu like.

  • Common_Cents

    Every REP who is interviewed about health care should talk about how more efficient competition and free markets can benefit Americans in terms of availability, lower cost, higher care.

    They need a lesson in talkin turkey to American’s something like Ross Perot’s simple charts. Why this is bad for YOU.

    REPS often get caught up in the more intellectual constitutional talk and patriotism. Right concepts but WRONG delivery. REPS must translate those into day to day talk to Americans of how DEMS will hurt and free market smart regulation will help.

    DEMS often trot out the sob story. why? cause it works!

    REPS talk about the constitution, how DEMS are violating the process/procedures etc…. that is all great internally.

    PEOPLE DONT GIVE A CRAP about that. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER.

    REPS desperately need new marketing and PR departments.

  • Husker

    I think the GOP needs to do more in order to expand health coverage in this country, IF the GOP wants to stop the Democratic plan that attained cloture this evening. Look at it as the lesser of two evils, if yoiu like.

    Before a person needs healthcare, he can’t live without water, so why don’t we legislate universal hydration for all Americans. A person can’t live without food, so we better legislate universal nutrition. A person can’t survive without some sort of clothing, so we better legislate universal apparel. See where this is heading, and when does it stop?

    The air-fingers-quote lesser of two evils is why we are in the minority now. The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan should be a lesson to learn by when lawmakers think they just have to do something. That something will ultimately turn into a bloated bureaucracy without limits on its growth. How many more unfunded liabilities are you willing to pass on to the next generations? Do we pass bills now because it’s politically popular to a certain sector? Cash 4 Clunkers was popular even though it cost the American taxpayer $3 billion, but what’s a few billion dollars when it’s popular?

    It’s because of backwards thinking like this is why the GOP are powerless in Congress right now. The next time PC registration time comes around, I will be putting my name on the dotted line to make sure those lesser than two evil types will never get a sniff at a leadership spot ever again in the party.

  • AndrewHyman

    If you don’t think the GOP should do more to expand health coverage in this country, then you seem to be within a minority of the GOP. The challenge is to gather all of the decent ideas together, and put them into a comprehensive alternative to the Democrats’ bill.

    I suggested to Erick Erickson (here) that Redstate ought to start making some suggestions along these lines.

    For example, many of Senator DeMint’s reform proposals make good sense to me, and I don’t think they’re the “lesser of two evils.” But, if you think they’re the lesser of two evils, then that seems like a very good reason to support them instead of the health care monstrosity being proposed by the Democrats.

  • Husker

    The GOP has offered insurance portability, 100% deductible medical savings accounts, tort reform, and other ideas to save consumers money when it comes to their healthcare.

    What you don’t get is that it doesn’t matter what the GOP thinks. As long as the Democrats control the committees and have a super majority, none of these plans will ever see the light of day. Do you think the press will have an incentive to report the GOP had their own plan? FYI, there are five GOP plans out there by various Senators and Congressmen. What? You didn’t hear about them on the evening news? Exactly. The press has been selling Obamacare lock, stock, and barrel since its inception. Why should it, or would it change now, this late in the game?

    BTW, I’m not in the minority of the GOP. I am a Conservative who believes in the free market system, not some nanny stater who thinks government can do a better job. The government has no right to tell a private entity what they can and cannot charge for a service, intellectual property, or goods offered to the public at a profit.

  • AndrewHyman

    As I pointed out above, in response to Uma Richie, the House GOP health care proposal would only make a slight dent in the number of uninsured people in this country. I’m not aware that the proposal by individual GOP Senators would do any better.

    IMHO, the GOP should propose a voucher plan. People could spend the voucher on any health insurance plan they see fit (except ones covering abortion and assisted suicide). No federal funds would subsidize any particular health plan.