March 08, 2017 10:15 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (March 8)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s go ahead and see if we can Get More Smarter. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► President Trump has joined with House Republicans to promote a major healthcare policy change that some Republicans are calling “Obamacare-lite” (in order to conserve letters, we’re just going to stick with “Trumpcare”). Despite any happy talk you may hear from individual lawmakers, the conservative backlash is well underway. Today, the American Medical Association announced that it could not support Trumpcare, either.

Good luck trying to find consensus on Trumpcare among Colorado’s Republican delegation to Congress. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) has been a vocal supporter of the new health care legislation — even before he had a chance to read the draft document. Coffman is excited about what he calls a massive entitlement reform that would quickly eliminate Medicaid. Meanwhile, Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) continues to insist that he is opposed to any proposal that would gut Medicaid.

Politico examines seven specific pitfalls that could derail Trumpcare entirely, including a poor reception from the healthcare insurers and providers. Many conservative Republicans are also not happy with the plan being pushed by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

► House Republicans are moving quickly as they try to enact Trumpcare. As the Washington Post explains, outside groups are being left to figure out the details:

The House GOP is moving so fast — with debate starting in the Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee less than 48 hours after they unveiled their bills — that lawmakers have not yet received any estimates from congressional budget analysts of how much the plans would cost or, significantly, how many Americans could be expected to gain or lose insurance coverage…

…An analysis by S&P Global predicts the legislation would lead to a loss of coverage for 2 million to 4 million of the roughly 16 million Americans who bought their own health plans through the ACA’s marketplaces or separately. More adults 35 and younger would gain coverage, while fewer adults 45 and older would be insured, according to the analysis…

…The GOP plans also would undo an ACA rule that allows insurers to charge their oldest customers no more than three times what they charge their youngest and healthiest ones. Instead, insurers could charge five times as much…

…Larry Levitt, senior vice president for special initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said more low-income people would have a hard time affording benefits under the Republicans’ American Health Care Act. “There will be more losers than winners,” he said.

It’s not all bad news — Trumpcare is great if you are already rich.

► The Colorado legislature could end up convening a special session this summer if Trumpcare makes it through Congress.

► Women haven’t disappeared in Colorado, but this is what it might look like if they did.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) is playing a significant role in efforts to get a man (or woman) to Mars. From a press release:

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) authored a provision included in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 to further our understanding of how to successfully launch a human space flight mission to Mars by 2033. Section 435 of the bill requires NASA to report on the technical and budgetary requirements for a human space flight mission to Mars in the year 2033 utilizing the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle – two projects essential to the future of deep space missions.

“NASA has been working on the Journey to Mars for several years, but we currently lack focus and conviction for this mission,” said Perlmutter. “We need a firm timeline and plan to put the building blocks in place. If we set a goal and work together, we can get our astronauts to Mars by 2033.”

Since joining the Science, Space & Technology Committee, Perlmutter has worked to secure a long-term plan from NASA to ensure it has the authority, funding and resources necessary to send humans to Mars by 2033. Earth and Mars will be in an orbit and alignment in 2033 to provide the optimal scenario to more safely get our astronauts to Mars and back.

Last fall, Rep. Perlmutter talked about his Mars efforts in an interview for The Get More Smarter Show.

► The Colorado State House passed legislation that would ban so-called “conversion therapy” for LGBT children. Similar legislation has previously failed in the Republican-controlled State Senate, but more Republicans appear to be speaking out against “conversion therapy” this year.

► As the Boulder Daily Camera reports, funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could be cut by as much as 17% under President Trump’s new budget parameters. That’s a lot of jobs in Colorado that could go down the drain.

► The sky is blue. The sun sets in the West. Senator Cory Gardner misleads constituents.

► Congressman Jared Polis (D-Boulderish) talks education policy with Chalkbeat Colorado, saying that he worries more about negative impacts on education coming out of Congress than proposals from new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

► The CIA might be spying on you. Of course, if the CIA is watching you, then you should probably stop whatever illegal thing it is that you are doing.

► Former President Barack Obama is more than a little annoyed with President Trump. Can you blame him?