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Comment by kaosjester | Hacker News Reader

This doesn't account for the whole picture. The tax benefit is dwarfed in comparison to the losses in social security people at and below the poverty line will suffer.

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I’m assuming you mean “social safety net”, not Social Security?

And are you just referring to the individual mandate change? Or are other big parts of the safety net changing from this bill?

(And yes, I understand the long-term policy and political implications, but I’m asking about specific immediate changes in this bill)

Republicans have stated they will be cutting Medicare and Social Security benefits after the tax cuts have passed “as they’re no longer affordable.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/...

If the health care costs in the U.S. were the same as the next most expensive OECD country, health care costs would be $1 trillion less. The trump tax cuts amount to $150 billion a year, so just by bringing health care costs in line with the second-most expensive country they could probably meet all of the shortfall without anyone needing to lose anything. It's possible to make smart cuts to medicare and medicaid spending without affecting quality of care or coverage.

Now, knowing republicans that's not how it will pan out though. They aren't known for making smart cuts, they typically reduce benefits/expenditure while keeping profiteering in place.

Perhaps because it’s meant to be a tax calculator, not a political scorecard.

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