Galindez writes: "For the past couple of weeks, every time I heard the Freedom Caucus say, 'The bill does not do enough to lower premiums,' I scratched my head and agreed. I wondered why we were on the same side of the issue. I should have known better; we are still on opposite sides of the issue."
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, second from left, speaks about health care during a news conference on Capitol Hill, March 7, 2017. He is joined by, from left, Rep. Mark Sanford, R-SC, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-TX, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY. (photo: Susan Walsh/AP)
24 March 17
or the past couple of weeks, every time I heard the Freedom Caucus say, “The bill does not do enough to lower premiums,” I scratched my head and agreed. I wondered why we were on the same side of the issue. I should have known better; we are still on opposite sides of the issue.
I don’t see anything in this bill that will control the rising costs of health care. Rep. Mark Meadows and the Freedom Caucus spin their position that way, but it is not really what they care about. What they are saying is they want health care companies to be able to provide you with junk policies again.
It is not the price tag that the Freedom Caucus objects to, it’s the product. You see, they don’t want just to get rid of the individual mandate, they want to get rid of minimum standards that every health care plan must reach.
The Koch brothers and their ilk want to return to the days when insurance companies could provide plans that didn’t cover 10 essential services that Obamacare mandates.
Under Obamacare, every health plan must cover the following services:
So the next time you see Rand Paul or a member of the Freedom Caucus say the bill needs to do more to cut premiums they mean cut services.
They want to return to the days when mental health services were not covered. They want to go back to the days when patients went without the medicine they needed because they couldn’t afford their prescriptions. They want to go back to the days when physical therapy only went to those who could afford it.
To sum it up, they want to go back to the days when insurance companies could choose to let you die instead of paying for services. Don’t be fooled; the Freedom Caucus is not on the side of the people. You see, they don’t believe in shared responsibility, they believe in everyone for themselves. For the Freedom Caucus and other followers of Ayn Rand, if you can’t afford health care, that’s your fault.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.
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