March 13, 2017

Ali Velshi was simply on fire on MSNBC as he dismantled every single baloney talking point Republicans have been putting out there about the Affordable Care Act and their Trumpcare replacement.

On the topic of selling insurance across state lines, Velshi stressed, "I can't say this enough times, there are no federally imposed restrictions to selling insurance across state borders." Just for emphasis, he repeated it again, before he really went off.

"This is just dishonest for people who say that such a thing exists," he added. "This is something that is either not done because states don't let it get done, or, chiefly, because insurance companies have reasons for not selling it."

He continued, "The Republicans have created this impression that insurance companies are dying to get across state borders. And that will solve all of our problems because they will insure people across the land and premiums will drop. It is one of those fallacies that keeps on coming up."

On the myth of "free market health care," he was brilliant. "Along with the fallacy that if you reduce all restrictions on insurance companies a free market system will work. There are no free market insurance systems on earth that work. There is not a single one. Nor in any adjoining planets, it doesn't work because it is something we consider a market failure."

He explained, "Insurance companies will not willingly insure people sick people, end of story. They operate for a profit and sick people are about the worst thing you can have on an insurance policy."

On the issue of criticizing CBO estimates, Velshi scolded Republicans, saying, "What you can't do is make up facts to support the argument." (Except they do, all the time)

Selling across state lines and deregulating markets will not reduce premiums, Velshi stressed.

"Free markets do not reduce premiums. In fact, in an absolutely free market, there would be higher premiums because sick people cost a lot to insure."

Excellent destruction of all the Republican lies, and in 3 minutes, more or less. Share widely with anyone who parrots that nonsense as a legitimate argument.

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