The non-partisan [1]Congressional Budget Office has found that the current plan for healthcare reform will add to the nation’s deficit and drive healthcare costs up, not down. However, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-SC, and disgraced former CBS anchor Dan Rather couldn’t seem to grasp this concept on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on July 20, and co-host Mika Brzezinski was impressed by their not-so-astute observations.
When Brzezinksi asked Clyburn, “shouldn't everyone pay a little, or should it just be one facet of our economy, of our population, that should take the burden for insuring all Americans?”
“But Mika, everybody is paying right now,” Clyburn said. “The fact of the matter is these high deductibles are being paid for by everybody. These spiraling co-payments, being paid for by everyone. Every family with insurance paying about $1,200 or more on their premiums, we are paying for this now. What we are trying to do – and I wish people would focus on the fact that we are trying to pass a bill that is for everybody, so that we can drive down the costs, and get these spiraling co-payments, these deductibles, get that stuff out of the system … we’re trying to get to the point where nobody will have to pay much more at all.”
Brzezinksi was impressed. “That is such a good point,” she beamed. “I mean … the bottom line is, one way or another, we are paying for our nation's health care crisis.”
However, this is only true if by “we” Brzezinksi means those who make more than $350,000. Those are the people who [2]would pay for health insurance under the House plan. The rest of
Rather also agreed with Clyburn, and took his idea even further. “And that is the strongest practical political argument for getting it through … I don't think that is permeating to most people. But this is the argument that the Democrats and the president have to get through: you are paying for it now.”