It's beginning to seem like maybe Republicans don't really have a secret plan to save more than six million people from losing their health insurance, after all. By the end of this month, the Supreme Court will issue its decision on whether or not people buying Obamacare insurance in the 34 states using the federal insurance exchange will still get subsidies, so it's getting kind of down to the wire on that whole "what's Congress going to do" thing. That's what Fox News's Chris Wallace really wanted to find out from Rep. Paul Ryan (Sociopath-WI), but
he had no luck getting there, with Ryan repeatedly refusing to give any detail and just saying that all will be revealed after the court decides.
"We will have an answer. We will have a solution," Ryan, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, responded when first asked if Republicans have a fix. "We don't want people to fall victim because of this bad law."
Wallace then asked specifically whether the GOP plan would make sure that all Americans with subsidies could keep them.
Ryan said he would not go into details because congressional Republicans want to see the "nature of the ruling."
He then refused to answer whether Republicans would include in their fix a provision to eliminate the individual mandate.
Head below the fold to watch the clip.
Wallace actually gave Ryan a pretty good grilling, pointing out that the law has got 16 million people insured and reminding Ryan that "we're five years into Obamacare and Republicans have still not come up with a coherent plan that will ensure that all of those millions of uninsured people get coverage." Ryan lamely answered that five years ago they had comprehensive plans that were alternatives, glossing over the fact that in the five years since the Republican House hasn't been able to agree on a lunch order, much less a comprehensive healthcare plan.
Try as he might, Wallace couldn't get Ryan to answer on substance beyond the new, twisted talking point that there are millions of people benefitting from this bad law that will have to be saved from the bad law by Republicans keeping this bad law alive. No, it still doesn't make any sense. And no, Ryan hasn't done anything to convince anyone that Republicans have any idea what to do.