Why the GOP is forever doomed to try replacing ObamaCare with suckier versions of ObamaCare

The party's priorities inevitably drive it toward more comfort for the already comfortable, and more affliction for the already afflicted. 

Repeal ObamaCare
(Image credit: (Pete Marovich/Corbis))

Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah along with GOP Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan have put together a replacement for ObamaCare. And while neither their supporters nor detractors are likely to admit it, the plan bears a striking resemblance to, well, ObamaCare.

Health-care markets present a particular set of problems, with a limited range of possible solutions. So all realistic proposals for reform are going to have some basic structural similarities. The differences arise in what policymakers prioritize within those bounds.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.