Republicans at this point can only vote no and hope for the bill to fail now and be rewritten so as to remove some of the worst provisions, or, if it passes, everyone will regret it and we can then remind you that we told you so.

Bad provisions: by mandating coverage for hugely expensive services that hardly anyone will want and that no one deserves to get free, such as sex change operations, aroma therapy (?), chiropractic “care” etc., the bill drives up costs.

Bad provisions: by pretending to cover costs by reducing payments to doctors for medicare, the bill ensures that one of two things will happen:

payments will indeed be cut, doctors will drop medicare patients, and the health coverage seniors get will be an empty promise because they won’t be able to find a doctor to take them, or,

payments will not be cut after all. The promise of care won’t be exactly empty. But the promise that the deal won’t be a budget wrecker will be even more empty than it already is.

See Thomas Sowell’s latest essay for details. Talking points versus reality.