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Obamacare Derangement Syndrome

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Earlier this week, economist Paul Krugman called the “G.O.P.’s near-complete lack of expertise on anything substantive” the “wonk gap” and pointed to the Republican’s weekly address as evidence:

On Saturday, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming delivered the weekly Republican address. […] he demanded repeal of the Affordable Care Act. “The health care law,” he declared, “has proven to be unpopular, unworkable and unaffordable,” and he predicted “sticker shock” in the months ahead.

Instead of “wonk gap”, I prefer to call it “the final nail in the coffin of the modern Republican party”.  

Of course the Affordable Care Act is not “unpopular, unworkable and unaffordable” and there will be no “sticker shock” unless it is people shocked, I say, shocked to find out that Republicans lied to them.

Let’s take a closer look at which groups of Americans stand to gain the most from the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on January 1, 2014:

1. Women. Insurance companies have been overcharging women for years. Obamacare makes that illegal and many women will see their premiums drop by as much as 50%.

2. Young people. College students can stay on their parents policies until they are 26 and will be able to afford health insurance on their own when they graduate thanks to reduced premiums.

3. The unemployed and the working poor. Medicaid will be expanded in most states and with hefty tax credits, the working poor will finally be able to afford health insurance. Since minorities are a high percentage of those struggling economically, they will benefit directly from the new law.

After the Decisive Republican Victory in the 2012 Presidential Election … oh wait … that is another example of the “wonk gap” that Mr. Krugman pointed out:

“[The GOP] dumbing down extends across the spectrum, from budget issues to national security to poll analysis. Remember, Mitt Romney and much of his party went into Election Day expecting victory”.

After their 2012 loss, the Republicans did a study and found out that women, young people, and people of color don’t much care for them. And their answer? Change the language so that it does not appear as though they hate the groups that they lost by such wide margins in 2012. Yes, because putting a woman in the leadership of the House as the official coffee getter conference chair will make your party more appealing to women and make them forget Todd Akin and Rush Limbaugh and, really pretty much every Republican. And pointing a big arrow at Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that says “look!!! brown guy!!!” will overcome the bigotry displayed daily in the party’s rhetoric about undocumented young people all being drug mules and their party’s refusal to consider a path to citizenship for children brought to this country as small children. And, really, nothing says “We like young people” more than refusing to consider plans to help ease the crushing burden of student loan debt that kids graduate with and to have been willing to let student loan rates double until someone finally talked some sense into them at the last minute.

Eventually those hollow words … okay … out and out lies will be exposed as such.

Republicans are convinced that Obamacare will fail because in their right-wing echo chamber it has already failed. They willfully ignore the good things that have already started making it popular. Like people whose insurance policy’s lifetime limits were lifted and who do not have to mortgage their house and their future, and face bankruptcy, because a loved one becomes sick or injured. And people with pre-existing conditions who have health insurance and the peace of mind knowing that their families will not go into debt to care for them. And the millions of people who got refund checks from their insurance companies because of the provision which requires that 85% of premiums must go to claims. Those people don’t think it is a failure. Nor will the millions who find that the health insurance exchanges, despite misinformation … okay … lies from Republican governors, are projected to save most people money on their health insurance costs.

The Republicans have boxed themselves into a corner. By pre-hating the Affordable Care Act and by tying their wagon to the repeal of a law that will not be repealed as long as Democratic presidents are in office, they have actually tied a boat anchor around their neck and are about to throw it overboard.

In November 2014, when voters are reminded of the anti-Obamacare rhetoric of 2013 they will do more than just scratch their heads. They will vote for Democrats.

When we vote, we win  … and those votes will guarantee affordable health care for ourselves and for future generations.

(Crossposted from Views from North Central Blogistan.)


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/ 23 Comments

23 comments

  1. JanF

    Obamacare Outreach Winner

    Jason Girouard, an 18-year-old student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will be the early bird winner for the contest, started last month by HHS as a way of promoting the health care reform law to young adults. He will be awarded $1,500 in prize money, which HHS says he plans to use to pay for college.

    From the video: Uninsured broken arm: $ 8,094.21 Insured broken arm $ 309.57

  2. blue jersey mom

    conservative white guys from formerly Confederate states.

    The challenge is getting folks out for the 2014 elections when there is no presidential candidate at the top.  

  3. princesspat

    Government shutdown closer as GOP divided on health-care action

    Within 24 hours, the House’s most ardent conservatives revolted, declaring the defunding resolution a gimmick that fell short of their drive to undo the health-care law. House Democrats said they would oppose not only stripping the health-care law of money but also a spending level that maintains sequestration.

    The vote was delayed indefinitely as House Republicans resumed their search for a measure that could unite them.

    With no resolution in sight, Republican leaders said decisions would have to be made next week on a way forward – with Democratic votes, or Republican unity. But Boehner gave no indication he knew which way to turn.

    This article was originally published in the NYT, but it’s interesting to me to see what gets republished. The following comment is the prevailing sentiment posted in response….

    Boner and the boys will put on a dog and pony show for the wackos, who don’t know the difference between the federal deficit and the federal debt, and can’t understand why it’s not like their household checking account.

    I’m too old for this crap.

  4. princesspat

    McMorris Rodgers: “A constitutional law isn’t necessarily an effective one.”

    “Today marks one year since the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Obama’s health care law. A year later, it is more evident than ever before that a constitutional law isn’t necessarily an effective one. Hardworking American all across this country – moms and dads taking care of their families, seniors relying on their benefits, and the most vulnerable in our communities – are suffering because this law is making their health care worse. Premiums have risen, many Americans have lost their health insurance, medical innovation has been stymied, and the exorbitant costs of health care have prevented job growth. It is unfair that the American people are paying the price for this disastrous policy. That’s why House Republicans will continue to work on health care solutions that help Americans, not hurt them.”

    It’s embarrassing and very frustrating that she represents Wa. State in Congress. And in eastern Wa far to many of her constitutes will continue to believe her and vote for her.

  5. JanF

    Smartypants had a blog post that talked about the insurance company for her small business trying to scare people into renewing early:

    But this week we got a packet of information from our current health insurance provider. Our renewal with them is scheduled to happen March 2014. They are offering their current small business customers the opportunity to renew early at close to current rates with a warning that if we don’t, Obamacare will likely mean steep increases in our premiums.

    Here’s the catch…we have to renew by September 15, two weeks before we have the opportunity to compare the rates they’re offering to those on the exchanges.

    So it sound like some insurers, rather than be part of the solution by offering their products in the exchanges, have decided to try to quite literally “scare up” business. Fie on them.

  6. Diana in NoVa

    If there’s a government shutdown, just see how loudly they squawk when they or their parents don’t receive their Social Security payments!  Their parents will have to move in with them or starve.

    The stupidity of RWNJ never fails to astound me.

  7. JanF


    Conservatives, meanwhile, are undercutting – and infuriating – Republican leaders who want to be pragmatic about what they can achieve in the continuing resolution. Democrats, they recognize, are vulnerable on spending levels but won’t cave on Obamacare. As a result, if the hard right’s desires get in the way of reaffirming sequestration cuts (even temporarily), the GOP may lose on all fronts. Veteran Republicans realize the party out of power will be blamed if the government shuts down, and their negotiating hand weakened over how much it should spend upon re-opening.

    TPM: Conservatives Step Up Push To Undercut GOP On Obamacare

  8. princesspat

    Back to Boehner

    A critical chunk of House Republicans insist that they will only vote for a bill to keep government going if said legislation also defunds Obamacare. You may have noticed that House Republicans have a stupendously high opinion of health care reform. Most Democrats think it will be a very good thing over the long run, but probably a pain to implement, with lots of complaining from all sides. Republicans, on the other hand, think that the instant it goes into effect, voters will be so ecstatic they will toss out any public official who threatens to take it away from them. Yet, simultaneously, the world as we know it will come to an end. Go figure.

    Since neither the Senate nor the president will buy the defunding idea, Speaker Boehner came up with an interesting compromise, under which the House would pass a bill that keeps the government running and defunds Obamacare. But it would be structured so that the second part would vanish when the bill got to the Senate.

    There are a lot of procedural details. But, really, all you need to remember is: “Boehner bill: Obamacare defunding part disappears by magic.” The Tea Party faction in the House does not appear to be fooled by this maneuver.

    Hmmmm, I think I understand, but as she so delightfully writes, “….strolling along the fical cliffs….” can be very confusing!

  9. JanF

    From a puff piece on Ted Cruz (that weirdly turned into a rant about libruls and how mean they are to poor Ted!):

    The House of Representatives, he said, could pass a continuing resolution by September 30, funding the entire government excluding Obamacare, and send the resolution to the Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid would of course refuse to consider the bill. The government would shut down from lack of money. At this point, he told me, the Republicans would have to take their case to the public, framing the question like so: “Why is Barack Obama willing to shut down the government to preserve Obamacare?” Under pressure from an outraged public, President Obama would drop his single greatest legacy, reopen the government, and embrace a free-market solution to health care reform.

    (cue Uplifting American Music here plus flag)

    Cruz says this will start a grass-roots uprising, much like the coalition that “formed” when he was working to get the commonsense gun safety measures, inspired by Sandy Hook, defeated in the Senate.

    Here is what he said about that “grass-roots uprising”, what he calls a “new paradigm”:

    We’ve seen what happens when America’s grassroots rise up and demand their elected officials do the right thing.” He mentioned the gun filibuster and the thousands of noisy gun owners who telephoned and emailed their senators to oppose the bill. “Few things,” he said wryly, “focus the mind of politicians more than hearing from large numbers of their constituents.”

    No. The large numbers of constituents were the 90% of Americans who wanted that legislation passed. What “focused the mind” was the arm-twisting that the gun lobbyists did on the Senators of both parties who they knew needed money and votes. The only thing he got right as the “noisy” part. There is no grass roots movement to put AK-15s in the hands of every citizen. Period.

    Ha!! And look … now I digressed into an anti-rightwing rant.

    Back to Obamacare and Ted’s fantasy.

    First, President Obama has confronted an “outraged public” before. It is the same outraged public that are frothing at the mouth because the president is black. He knows that the majority of Americans and American businesses will benefit from the implementation of Obamacare. Obama cares about those people and will protect the Affordable Care Act on their behalf.

    Second, we tried his quote free-market solution to health insurance unquote. It is called “don’t get sick and if you do get sick, die quickly.” THAT is why Medicare is so popular (no hassle health care) and why the ACA will be popular once it is fully implemented.

    Truly portable health insurance not tied to employment. Incentives to pay claims instead of build up a huge bureaucracy looking for ways to reject them. The end to medical bankruptcies. The ability to afford preventative care leading to a healthier America.

    I hope Ted Cruz tries to hitch his 2016 presidential aspirations to the wishing-Obamacare-away-wagon because it will serve to underscore how out of touch with reality he is and put him squarely on the wrong side of history.

    Wishes ain’t horses … and Obamacare ain’t goin’ away.

  10. JanF

    A new Pew poll shows fewer than 25% of Americans want the GOP to continue to try to defund Obamacare.

    So, who are they?

    Among Republicans who say they “always” vote in primaries, 53 percent oppose the law and want lawmakers to make it fail. Among Republicans who do not “always” vote in primaries, only 38 percent express that view.

    So the GOP is afraid of being primaried by people to the right of them … people who do NOT represent the majority of general election voters. This is a recipe for disaster for the Republicans because at some point they will go so far to the right that they will lose the “68 percent of independents [who] either supports the law or opposes it but wants lawmakers to make it work”. And next year, that number will get larger and the “supports the law” will grow as people find out that Republicans lied to them about it.

     

  11. JanF

    Even the right-wing Murdoch newspaper the Wall Street Journal is now saying “Stop, already”:

    The conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday called on Republican “backbenchers” in the House of Representatives to abandon their pipe dream of defunding or delaying Obamacare.

    Their demand is that the House pair the “must pass” CR or the debt limit with defunding the health-care bill. Kamikaze missions rarely turn out well, least of all for the pilots.

    The problem is that Mr. Obama is never, ever going to unwind his signature legacy project of national health care.

    They go on to say that the American public will blame the Republicans for any government shutdown because of the “media’s liberal sympathies”.

    Puh-lease. The media does not have “liberal sympathies”. But it sure sounds good when you want to whine about the unfairness of “elections having consequences” when you are on the losing end of those elections … and Supreme Court rulings … and polling where a majority of Americans don’t want the government shut down over the Affordable Care Act.  

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