Both parties have pledged . . .

I got a comment to the effect that both parties have pledged to protect people with pre-existing conditions so that's off the table. Here's the Republican plan, as tweeted by Cheeto Benito:

We will have Healthcare which is FAR BETTER than ObamaCare, at a FAR LOWER COST – BIG PREMIUM REDUCTION. PEOPLE WITH PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS WILL BE PROTECTED AT AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL THAN NOW. HIGHLY UNPOPULAR AND UNFAIR INDIVIDUAL MANDATE ALREADY TERMINATED. YOU’RE WELCOME!

Republicans must state loudly and clearly that WE are going to provide much better Healthcare at a much lower cost. Get the word out! Will always protect pre-existing conditions!!!

Also, the Great Pumpkin is going to visit every home on October 30 and leave $2,000 under the pillow of every sleeping child.

The fact is that in order to protect people with pre-existing conditions, you have to put them in the same risk pool as everybody else. That's the purpose of insurance, to spread risk. If you do that, it will not be cheaper. The Republicans, and Cheeto, have absolutely no plan to do this because it is impossible. 

I was going to get to the problem that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, pretty much no matter how you measure it -- per capita, percent of GDP, cost to manage a given condition. But guess what insurance plans get better value? Medicare and Medicaid pay less than private insurance for everything. Medicaid pays the least. So if Cheeto's plan is Medicare for all, he might be right. He should hook up with Bernie Sanders.