RIGHT WING IN PANIC MODE As Affordable Care Act Roll Out Working

[Segami]

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has a great analysis in his piece “Republican Health Care Panic”. Before going into the most prescient statement in his piece it is essential to quote his interpretation of what the law does. Inasmuch as it has been explained in many forms, Krugman’s one paragraph puts it more succinctly than most.

Although you’d never know it from all the fulminations, with prominent Republicans routinely comparing Obamacare to slavery, the Affordable Care Act is based on three simple ideas. First, all Americans should have access to affordable insurance, even if they have pre-existing medical problems. Second, people should be induced or required to buy insurance even if they’re currently healthy, so that the risk pool remains reasonably favorable. Third, to prevent the insurance “mandate” from being too onerous, there should be subsidies to hold premiums down as a share of income.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/opinion/krugman-republican-health-care-panic.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130726&_r=1&

So what ‘horrible truth’ is it that better informed people on the Right seem to finally be facing up to? They are panicking as they noticed that

Health care reform, President Obama’s signature policy achievement, is probably going to work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/opinion/krugman-republican-health-care-panic.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130726&_r=1&

For those that have followed the real news and widely available information, that should not have been hard. After-all, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has been working successfully and effectively in Massachusetts for several years now (Obamacare was modeled on many parts of Massachusetts healthcare). Additionally, the information about the success of health insurance exchanges in states that care more about the health of their citizens than ideological politics, are coming in. The pricing from these health insurance exchanges, contrary to the myriad of lies and misinformation from Republicans have been much lower than expected. Because of the manner in which Obamacare was implemented, much of it was stealthy inasmuch as it did much for most. As such it was easy to demonize.


cont'


http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/27/right-wing-in-panic-mode-as-affordable-care-act-roll-out-working/

[flamingdem]

1. And to think we can partly thank Rmoney

for this program!

[KansDem]

3. Oh, he contributed some to the progam...

Maybe, 47%?

[Fantastic Anarchist]

6. And the Heritage Foundation.

It's a Republican's dream come true.

[SunSeeker]

14. Then why are the Republicans trying to kill it? nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Because they've gone off into "I hate everyone and everything" territory.

[nxylas]

30. Not everybody

If Obama said the sky was blue, they'd pass new House legislation declaring it to be green.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

17. Because they're morons.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. If Obama proposed putting Reagan on Mt. Rushmore...

they would be against it.

[lastlib]

27. so would I......

Mt. St. Helens is a better place for that POS.....

[awoke_in_2003]

35. Oh, I agree...

Just stating that if he gave them everything they wanted they will still oppose it.

[pampango]

15. And the Democratic legislature (85% majority) in Massachusetts.

U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Edward M. Kennedy, who had made universal heath coverage his life's work, gave Romney's plan a positive reception, which encouraged Democratic legislators to work with it.

The legislature amended Romney's plan, adding a Medicaid expansion for children and imposing an assessment on firms with 11 or more workers who do not offer health coverage. The assessment is intended to equalize the contributions to the free care pool from employers that offer and do not offer coverage. The General Court also rejected Romney's provision allowing high-deductible health plans.

Romney vetoed eight sections of the health care legislation, including a $295-per-person fee on businesses with 11 employees or more that do not provide health insurance. Romney also vetoed provisions providing dental and eyeglass benefits to poor residents on the Medicaid program, and providing health coverage to senior and disabled legal immigrants not eligible for federal Medicaid. However, the state legislature overrode all of the vetoes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorship_of_Mitt_Romney#Health_care

The Democrats in the Massachusetts legislature made many improvements in romney's healthcare proposal. He vetoed all of them. They overrode all of his vetoes. With an 85% majority they could pretty much pass or reject whatever they wanted. So this was more a Democratic law than a republican one.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. an also the Heritage Foundation, right ?

[bluestate10]

52. NO!!!! Thanks the democratic Legislature and Senate in Massachusetts and the current Governor,

Deval Patrick. Romney tried his best to make health care reform in Massachusetts a non-impactful program that would soon die from public disfavor. The democrat dominated Legislature and Senate out maneuvered Romney and forced in changes to the law that made it appealing to the average citizen. Romney still attempted to ignore the legislation and set up a pathetic, non functioning Exchange. Enter newly elected Deval Patrick after an unpopular Romney left office early and his replacement was defeated by Patrick when she ran for a full term in 2006 . Patrick immediately saw problems with health care reform implementation, which Romney had purposely ignored. Patrick set to important priorities for the state, the first being funding and improving K-12 education in the state, the second being correcting the problems that had developed with health reform implementation. Fast forward to 2011, Patrick, with help from the now nearly 100% democratic Legislature and Senate has made Massachusetts schools among the top three in the country, while making Massachusetts health care the best in the nation.

The problem that I often have with the far Left and the emotional is their short memories. Romney had NOTHING to do with health care reform in Massachusetts other than to be backed into a corner to push for a plan that was less liberal and encompassing than the democrats would have forced into law had Romney not negotiated for a law that was less. Patrick would later get some of the features that Romney kept out back into the legislation, then made all the features work.

[Spazito]

2. Good read...

"And the good news about Obamacare is, I’d argue, what’s driving the Republican Party’s intensified extremism. Successful health reform wouldn’t just be a victory for a president conservatives loathe, it would be an object demonstration of the falseness of right-wing ideology. So Republicans are being driven into a last, desperate effort to head this thing off at the pass."

"The falseness of the right-wing ideology"

Says it all.

[Cha]

37. Mahalo for highlighting that paragraph, Spazito.

it does say it all and they are Desperate like a giant collective cornered rat.

"Obama's a divider"

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas

It's in that groundsmell mishmash some place.

[Spazito]

41. Hey Cha! The article in Mother Jones by David Corn is excellent...

It shows, as does the article in the OP, the sheer desperation of the rabid right wing. The ones with more than to brain cells working know they are losing the public and losing them badly. Obamacare is proving them wrong in BIG ways.

There will be no groundswell and they know it.

[Cha]

49. Their stupid name for it, "groundswell".. that's

not. gonna. happen... is emblematic of their strategy.

And, how a wife of a bloody SCJ can be a part of this is beyond disgraceful..

"Ginni Thomas not responding to calls for a comment."

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/25/19681021-facing-a-groundswell

Amazing that David Corn obtained the documents.. I still haven't leaned how that happened.

[Esse Quam Videri]

4. Received a letter in the mail yesterday from our provider - Aetna

Saying that we will be receiving a refund on part of our premium due to the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Can't wait to see how my repug colleagues try to spin this on Monday.

[penultimate]

9. I'm sure they'll send the money back to Aetna...

[Cha]

38. Good on you, Esse!

[sheshe2]

5. Two more good links on the Right

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/the-unprecedented-contemptible-gop-quest-to-sabotage-obamacare/278098/

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/22/19617125-what-sabotage-governing-looks-like

Thank you Segami, great OP that everyone needs to read!

[AlinPA]

8. Great, except "better informed people on the Right" : Who are they? Are there any?

[mick063]

10. I am really hoping that Obamacare works

I would love that the intent of this law works to perfection.

I personally believe that more controls are needed to reign in the costs of the care itself as opposed to spreading out the outrageous costs among a greater number of people. This is not the most effective means of combating a $30,000 night in intensive care but it appears that it will help, to a limited degree, of slowing the pace of increase.

I'm not sold on the concept of corporate owned hospital "franchises" charging outrageous prices for their services while using mandated insurance as the means to control those costs by spreading them to a larger pool of people. In health care Utopia, the care would be so affordable, insurance would not even exist. A stretch for sure, but we are seeing the opposite extreme where the care is so expensive, the term "affordable" is a sick parody.

[Flatulo]

22. Exactly. Hospital franchises make it impossible for insurers to negotiate

better rates, since all the hospitals in a franchise or region ate using the same charge master.

And what have these chains of hospitals produced? Exactly nothing of any value except huge returns for management and shareholders.

[L0oniX]

32. For profit health care is immoral ...but we've swallowed the poison by accepting the compromise.

The whole idea of making money for stock holders from sick and injured people is disgusting.

[Flatulo]

36. I never used to think of it like that, but I finally see it.

I'm all for somebody getting rich off of iPods and BMWs amd LCD TeeVees, but sick people? Not so much. All that other stuff is optional. We just don't have much say over when sickness strikes.

[Skittles]

51. I agree

[Laelth]

11. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Scurrilous]

12. K & R

[SunSeeker]

13. K & R

[ErikJ]

18. They are probably sorry they named it ObamaCare now

Because forever more, the man they hate most on this earth, is going to be credited for the ACA. HAHAHA

[DFW]

24. My thoughts exactly

They came up with "Obamacare" as a derogatory term for a plan they thought would be synonymous with "dismal failure."

When millions of Americans start thanking their good fortune (and being happy that getting sick won't ruin or kill them) that the ACA passed, then the term "Obamacare" becomes something a lot of voters are very thankful for. Republicans don't want large segments being thankful for anything containing Obama's name.

When Fox Noise starts calling the ACA "McConnellcare" or "Boehnercare," we'll all know they've thrown in the towel.

[ErikJ]

31. Hillarycare worked to kill it -so they thought theyd try it again.

Propaganda minister in chief Luntz screwed up big time. And from now on people will credit Obama a Democrat for the ACA.

[Spazito]

46. I loved it when President Obama took ownership of it..."Obamacare"...

It was the last thing the repubs thought would happen. They tried to make a positive into a negative and the President, in essence, said, 'oh no you don't'.

It was the perfect response, imo.

[Sheepshank]

47. Even Obama calls it Obamacare in his recent speeches n/t

Last edited Sun Jul 28, 2013, 10:25 AM - Edit history (1)

[ErikJ]

48. Yes, see the correct post directly above

[Vietnameravet]

56. Ya they will change it to GOP care and insist Obama stole their program!!

[malaise]

20. ReTHUGs don't give a flying fuck

about facts. They'll shove their talking points at America and ignore the truth. Only Americans can kick them and their lies to oblivion.

[Berlum]

21. Republican FAIL is failing

What a sad case the Repubbies are with their ongoing efforts to drag America down and make the nation fail.

[Patiod]

23. Just got a horribly biased polling calling about the ACA from Rasmussen

I know, "biased" and "Rasmussen" are redundant. Well, I know NOW. I hadn't heard of them before, but the questions were so awful that I googled the company after the poll was completed. It looks like they're the Fox "News" in-house polling company.

I do this stuff (market research) for a living, and as the poll went on, I got angrier and angrier. Biased, stupid questions that bordered on push-polling.

Ugh.

[mahina]

28. I've had similar experiences.

What do you do in that situation?

[Patiod]

58. I answered the poll honestly and then wrote to them

1) answered the poll honestly, because the really biased stuff was at the end.

2) wrote to them that the poll bordered on push-polling, that they gave our industry a bad name, and that they should be ashamed of themselves. A lot of good that will do, but it made me feel better.

Because of what I do for a living, I always answer polls. 19/20 it's legit. If it's not, I tell them I think they're doing marketing, and that I'd like to speak to a supervisor, and they hang up on me.

[Cha]

40. Good to know, Patiod.. Mahalo. nm

[hue]

25. Anything no matter how beneficial for the US from Pres. Obama will be vilified by the RW puppets!!

[abelenkpe]

26. Hopefully as more realize the talking points

On the right concerning the ACA are shown to be completely ludicrous and false viewers and voters will begin to suspect that all the right wing talking points are suspect. Especially where the economy is concerned. It would be nice to swing away from the concept of austerity.

[DeSwiss]

29. K&R

- The Republicans only doubted the plan would work because it used to be their plan -- who knew?

[bread_and_roses]

33. Yes, let us celebrate this triumph of our Corporate Masters

Let us celebrate the shoveling of more communal resources (ie, "our tax $$&quot into the maws of for-profit "Insurance" and Pharma companies instead of into actual care. Let us celebrate a totally ridiculous notion of what is "affordable" as we continue to drive wages down and progress toward Oligarchy and serfdom. Let us celebrate the triumph of forcing "insurance" on people rather than making actual health care available to all.

[senseandsensibility]

42. Your voice is important. I literally would never hear anyone express

what you have just done on the corporate media. According to them, Obamacare is the left of the left and there is nothing to the left of it. In that, they have succeeded in framing the debate. I love what you wrote because it is important and true.

[Corruption Inc]

34. Yes, it works as a continuation of corrupt for-profit health insurance

Framing it as a victory for the American people who want universal, single payer health care is a complete misdirection. So what if a few insanely corrupt Rs invented a few lies about it that were then proven wrong?

Americans want single payer, universal health care, not a corrupt for-profit health insurance continuation.

[Agschmid]

44. Allegedly...

[Skip Intro]

43. "should have access to affordable insurance"

I stopped reading right there.

It should not be about "access to affordable insurance."

It should be access to healthcare.

I'm not sure this will turn out well.

We will know soon enough.

[2ndAmForComputers]

53. Hope springs eternal.

[KentuckyWoman]

59. Yeah, me too.

Having insurance doesn't mean being able to afford a doctor visit.

I really hope I'm wrong. I really do hope Obamacare does make it possible to obtain medical care when it's needed.

But I have always thought, and still think, all it will do is enrich the stockholders of insurance companies and make obtaining medical care even harder.

[gulliver]

45. The Republicans got themselves into a pickle this time.

They've doubled-down forty-odd times on trying to repeal ACA already.

[Left Coast2020]

50. I say, since its getting popular, let them say all the stupid shit they want.

On Sharptons show, I believe he said they are spreading a memo to claim costs are going up, or its not working. Then they will truly bury themselves for 2014. And thats a good thing. They are only talking to their "moran" crowd.

[Zorra]

54. K&R! NT

[Vietnameravet]

55. Of course they want it to fail because..

they have invested so much time and energy demonizing it, they will be totally discredited if it turns out to be a good thing and they are shown to be liars and fearmongers,...Considering how little else they have to offer and how broadly disliked they are among so many groups, no wonder they are in a panic mode,,,Fuck them all!!

[ErikJ]

57. It is THEE #1 demonization of Obama also.

Their #1 reason for hating Obama has been Obamacare. Too funny. Cant wait to taunt them with their old lies. HAHHA

[Scurrilous]

60. Boink.