In today's Plum Line post, I took a look at an actual health care plan that congressional Republicans unveiled and came to the conclusion that they've basically ceded the argument on government's role in health care:
Again and again in the Republican plan, what they do is take a provision or principle in the Affordable Care Act and essentially say, "We want to do that too, we'll just do it a little less generously." No denials for pre-existing conditions? It's in there, but there are some important caveats (which I'll get to in a moment). No lifetime limits on coverage? In there. Young people up to age 26 can stay on their parents' plan? Yes, but a state could opt out. Subsidies for middle-class people? In there, just up to 300 percent of the poverty level. Coverage for the poor? Yes, just up to 100 percent of poverty instead of 138 percent. Tax on high-value plans? Yep, just in a different way. Government-set limit on how much insurers could vary premiums by age? Yes, but the ratio would be expanded from 3-1 up to 5-1. A mandated list of "essential health benefits" for all plans? Yes, but the states would determine the list instead of the federal government, with more flexibility.
The caveats on pre-existing conditions are important: instead of guaranteeing coverage the way the ACA does, Republicans would create finite windows in which you could get coverage, and if you don't make it in time you'd be out of luck. But it's still notable that they came up with a plan chock-full of regulations and government subsidies, insufficient though they might be.
And in my column for The Week, I noted that this is an unusually young field of Republican presidential candidates, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll make significant inroads among young voters:
The interplay of the candidate and his party will play out differently depending on who that candidate is, of course. Rand Paul's mix of economic conservatism and (relative) social moderation is more in tune with millennials than the positions of many of his opponents. On the other hand, Marco Rubio likes to ham-handedly quote hip-hop lyrics in speeches, which I suppose could appeal to … someone or other. But you can bet they're going to try. If one of the 40- or 50-somethings becomes the nominee, he'll surely accuse Hillary Clinton of having "old, tired ideas." Rubio calls her policy positions "20th-century relics," and everyone knows what he's really saying.
