Republicans have just released their flimsy excuse for health care reform after refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that will now lead to premiums doubling for many Americans now that they're set to double. [00:00:15] Republicans are offering what I see as a pretty pathetic band aid that really isn't even going to pass Congress anyway. It's just meant to pay lip service to an issue that a lot of Americans are struggling with. And that's the cost of health care. [00:00:31] So just to back up a little bit and give you more context, the fight over the Affordable Care Act subsidies took place during the recent government shutdown. Democrats use their leverage in the bill to fund the government by withholding their votes until Republicans agreed to extend the ACA subsidies for two years. [00:00:50] But Republicans don't really care, and they refuse to do so. So we had a 40 day shutdown. And then after the elections took place, Democrats did cave to Republicans. I actually don't have that much of a problem with them caving, necessarily, [00:01:06] because there were Snap recipients whose benefits were on the line. I just didn't like the fact that Democrats lied to us and made it seem like, oh, no, no, no, it's okay. We got promises from Republicans that, you know, we're going to do something and we're going to we're going to vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies. [00:01:24] Well, it looks like they are going to vote on the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies unlikely to pass. I want to be clear about that. But the Republican Party has decided to come out with their own proposal to compete with the, you know, priority of the Democratic Party, which is to just [00:01:40] extend the subsidies for two years. So let's get into the details of what Republicans are proposing here. So, Republican Senator, by the way, let me just note this. If you are under the impression that it's just Democratic voters [00:01:55] who are upset about our broken health care system, you'd be mistaken. Obviously, Democrats and Republicans alike are furious at the cost of health care, especially since you pay a lot only to get your claims rejected [00:02:11] by health insurance companies. And it's infuriating. So I think most people are angry for good reason. And even Republican Senator Roger Marshall admitted this last night, saying that this problem was not created overnight. It's not going to be solved overnight. [00:02:26] Yes, some people's premiums are going to go up. Some. They sure are. Roger. Marshall. I think that we should take the taxpayer funded health care away from our congressional lawmakers until they actually do something real and substantive [00:02:44] about our broken health care system. Maybe that'll get them to act because they live their cushy lives with their government funded health care and their, you know, impunity from any ramifications or consequences from insider trading, [00:03:01] which is obviously happening in front of our faces. It's just it's infuriating. But nonetheless, here's what the Republicans are proposing now. So this is a bill or a proposal that was designed by senators Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo. I'll be nice and not pronounce it the other way. [00:03:19] Here's how the plan will work. The subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are not part of the equation at all in the Republican proposal. However, the money that was once being used for the subsidies would instead be placed into so-called health savings accounts. [00:03:35] Those accounts would only be available for bronze level or catastrophic ACA plans. So under the plan, individuals earning less than 700% of the [00:03:51] federal poverty level would receive $1, 000 in HSA funding for those between age 18 and 49, and $1,500 for those ages 50 to 64. The senators say it would lower 2027 premiums by 11%. [00:04:10] I am not buying that. Now, Republicans are also stating that extending the tax credits would risk inflating insurance premiums when it's actually the opposite. I mean, the whole point of extending the ACA subsidies was or the tax credits was to lower the premiums. [00:04:26] And I mean, you're about to see it happen right now. A lot of you have already seen it happen right now since the the tax credits have not been extended. People are already seeing their premiums double. So how are how are Republicans going to make that argument? And by the way, let me also say this. [00:04:43] It's also an issue that the Affordable Care Act is so flawed that we need to keep extending government tax credits for it to be affordable. So I don't necessarily fully disagree with the Republican Party. But I do disagree with them when they claim that they have better solutions [00:05:01] because they don't, and it doesn't really seem like they care much. So in response, Senator Bernie Sanders explained that the, explained that the Republican plan is a bust. I mean, I think anyone paying close attention already knows that. But let me give you his arguments. [00:05:16] He says that, the lower quality health insurance plans that Cassidy and Crapo are encouraging come with outrageously high deductibles of $7, 500 and $10,000 for individuals and up to $21,200 for households. [00:05:35] I know, but we're going to get that $1,000 health savings account figure in, you know, that's amazing, isn't it? That will help us pay for all of this. He also says that a family of four living in Kansas making $45,000 a year, [00:05:50] could be forced to pay $4,500 more for surgery after a heart attack than under current law. And finally he says, and I agree with this. We cannot remain the only major country not to guarantee health care [00:06:05] as a human right. The function of a rational health care system must be to make people well, not to make the wealthy stockholders of big drug and insurance companies even richer. But as much as I agree with Bernie Sanders and the critiques he has [00:06:23] toward the flimsy Republican excuse for health care reform, our system is so deeply broken, and neither one of the proposals are likely going to pass in the House, and certainly neither one of them are going to pass in the Senate, where you [00:06:40] need a majority of 60 votes out of 100, in order to pass any legislation unless there's a resolution, a continuing resolution that allows them to do it without the 60 vote requirement. So anyway. [00:06:56] The point of this story is that our government doesn't care about us at all. And that's never going to change unless Americans wake up to the fact that we are just disorganized, divided. [00:07:11] You know what tight has always been about? Taking on the corrupt, greedy establishment. For us, it's the corporate media. We've been fighting that fight for over 20 years. For the cell phone industry. It's the same story, a handful of massive corporations ripping you off. That's why we're partnering with Noble Mobile. [00:07:28] They're the only wireless company with the same mission as ours to fight back. There are no bull Plan offers unlimited data for just $50 a month. But here's the best part for any data you don't use, you get cash back. Real money you can spend however you want. [00:07:45] Stop letting your unused data pad the pockets of billionaires. With noble. You take control over your data, and by switching to noble, you're directly supporting Tite and our mission of bringing you honest, independent news. So give noble a try and make the switch today. [00:08:01] Scan the QR code on the screen now or visit. Go. That's go. Based on the way our media frames what's happening in the country, [00:08:17] based on the fact that people are less and less willing to have conversations with people on the other side of the political aisle because they're convinced that the other side is evil. But when it comes to ordinary, normal Americans, the only way we're going to win, the only way we're going to change the system is if we organize. [00:08:33] We used to do that through labor unions, but also if we're willing to work with people that we might have other disagreements with. Otherwise we will remain divided and the elite will continue to screw us. So there's that. Every time you ring the bell below, an angel gets his wings. [00:08:51] Totally not true. But it does keep you updated on our live shows.