Too much of the debate about ACA became reduced to "we need a public option!" versus "we didn't have 60 votes for a public option!" But embedded in ACA are lots of "wonky details" which for the most part could have been at least tweaked one way or the other which didn't reflect the need to win over Joe Lieberman so much as they reflected the deeply wrong-headed views of the left-of-center wonks who really were getting, for the most part, the plan they wanted. The mandate is dumb. The cadillac tax is dumb (also, take away the final crumb a few unions manage to hold on to, sure). Pushing people to high deductible plans is dumb. The subsidies on the exchanges phase out too early. The politics of giving some people Medicaid and some people not is bad. They idea that young people are "healthy" as opposed to... healthy people being healthy... is dumb. Anyone who uttered "skin in the game" anywhere near this debate is dumb. There is more but I have not had coffee yet.
Sure the decision was made to make an insurance-industry plan and once that was the path taken my fantasy plan was never going to happen. But even within that framework, the "wonks" had some ideas about people using too much of our medical system for shits and giggles, as if anyone is really into kafakesque bureaucracy and needles as fun Tuesday afternoon entertainment.
About as in touch as Paul Ryan bragging about an extra $1.50 per week.
