Trump tweets: Insurance across state lines part of 'phase 2.' ...Which is a truly terrible idea

I'll be completely up front. I'm not anywhere near as big a fan of the House GOP's ObamaCare replacement plan as Dan is - and (while he thinks it's a worthy effort) even he's not exactly loving it. I've come down - as I often do - on the Rand Paul side of things. While I might not go quite as far as saying the GOP plan is Obamacare-lite, it does have many of the same problems and few of the promised solutions.

Good for him. We could use more of this.... https://t.co/YT7vHbppGI

— Robert Laurie (@RobertLaurie) March 7, 2017

You can argue that the Republican plan is better than "ObamaCare-heavy," but it's nowhere near the improvement conservatives have been demanding. ObamaCare is a disastrous piece of legislation, no part of which should be saved in its current form. After a decisive victory in November, we should be looking at a complete repeal, and then the negotiation of regulations that would repair issues with the previous free market system. Sadly, what we've been offered feels like the standard GOP half-measure designed to appease critics. As PJ Media reports:

Paul’s doubling down, saying he refuses to vote for a bill that is not a true free-market replacement. The bill that’s coming out of the House, he says, falls short of that goal. It includes new taxes on health insurance. It includes an individual mandate. Instead of paying the penalty to the government, you’ll have to pay a penalty to the insurance company. It also includes a new entitlement. This new entitlement may be bigger than the Obamacare subsidies. That needs to be debated because many conservatives in the House and Senate were not excited about Obamacare Lite. We want to repeal it. “I will not settle,” Paul said in a statement, “and I will not stand idly by while the American people are kept in the dark. I will continue to speak out for full repeal.”

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One of the biggest missing pieces in the House GOP plan is the long-promised option to purchase insurance across state lines. That's simply a no-brainer, and it should have happened decades ago. Yet it's conspicuously absent from this legislation. According to President Trump's Twitter feed, it's going to come...later. Call me a cynic, but I've been following politics for a long, long, time. ...Long enough to know that "Phase 2" is not something that usually comes to pass. Counting on it is like sailing off into a vast ocean - with no idea if you'll have enough food to reach dry land. "Phase 2" relies on spineless congressmen to suddenly grow a backbone when it's easier to let things slide. In this case, it could hinge on maintaining control of the Senate in 2018 - something that is likely to happen, but in no way guaranteed. It requires the continued health and service of President Donald Trump, the cooperation of a notoriously feckless GOP, and presumes there will be no interference from big, Earth-shattering events like 9/11.

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Don't worry, getting rid of state lines, which will promote competition, will be in phase 2 & 3 of healthcare rollout. @foxandfriends

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

Everyone remembers Reagan's blanket amnesty for illegals. "Phase 2" of that plan was an immigration overhaul that, for a variety of reasons, never happened. We've seen that same scenario play out time and time again. Now, it's possible that popular plans like the elimination of state lines are being held back as carrots. "Get the ball rolling now, and we'll give you the stuff you want later." They could also be bargaining chips for the inevitable reconciliation process. Maybe we're watching an "Art of the Deal" moment. The problem is, that this is far too important to "hope" that's the case. We don't want games, and we don't want nebulous promises of possible futures. To quote the English Beat, "It's not a joke. It's cards on the table time." If you're going to do "repeal and replace," it has to be perfect. Get it right the first time, and don't plan on second bites that may never materialize.