When do we pass the point of no return and Obamacare simply cannot be repealed?

[Zulan]

I am curious with all of these silly attempts to repeal the new health care laws, when is it no longer viable to repeal a law like this. After the law is in place and the infrastructure is built? Will be only have slightly more reasonable health care until the republicans get a majority and then they repeal the law?

This is absurd. The new health care laws did not go far enough in my opinion. we need to expand into single payer, not argue about this silly posturing.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. This will continue until January 2014 when ObamaCare is finally implemented.

Not that it will stop the Republicans from trying to stop it via defunding or some trick like that, because it's about the only thing that all House Republicans appear to come together on, and Boehner needs this.

[Zulan]

7. What magic line is crossed in 2014? Full implementation?

How does that prevent a republican majority (if established) from watering down or destroying the law?

[BlueCaliDem]

13. The people would have had affordable health care

by the time the election campaigns begin. Medicaid would be greatly expanded to all people with lower incomes. The U.S. backed health care policies would be available starting October 2013, well before the campaigns get underway, and people will finally know all the benefits in ObamaCare as it is fully implemented by January 2014. And just as it is with Medicare and Social Security today, once people receive benefits, they will fight to ensure they don't lose them.

I don't foresee the Republicans winning the Senate, though. There might be a fifty-fifty chance they'll hold on to the House, but they won't win the majority in the Senate and there is then NO WAY they can defund ObamaCare without passing it in the Senate. The Senate will ignore the Republicans' defunding bill - just as they've ignored the repeal ObamaCare bills - and even if the Republicans win a slim majority in the Senate and they tried to pass an ObamaCare defunding bill, I foresee the Democrats filibustering and the president vetoing any and all attempts.

[Kablooie]

36. They fear it will be successful, that's why they want to kill it.

They are determined to make everyone's lives as difficult as possible while a Democrat is in the Whitehouse.
Once the full plan kicks in and actually starts to become successful they are likely to double down on eliminating it as soon as possible. Unless we get a Republican president. Then they will take all the credit for its success since it was originally a Republican idea.

[Journeyman]

2. When did they stop trying to modify Social Security? When did Medicare become inviolate? . . .

[defacto7]

3. It will only settle

when the rude RW fundamentally worthless politicians are voted out. Don't expect anything but lies, obstruction and scandal till that point.

[tofuandbeer]

4. It's UNBELIEVABLE the lies GOP is getting away with...

especially in the past few weeks.

[davidpdx]

17. I think hell would have to freeze over for that to happen

LOL

[DirtyDawg]

5. So long...

...as the primary beneficiaries of the expanded healthcare program called Obamacare, remains a minority of the populace...and so long as the Republicans, and their nut-job base, can keep up the hateful propaganda campaign that that minority of people doesn't matter...then they'll never stop. The only way is for a majority of the voting public to say 'enough is enough' and vote the bastards out of office - everywhere...one can hope, can't one?

[calimary]

6. Welcome to DU, Zulan!

Glad you're here. We ask ourselves that every day.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Right after we pass an amendment to the Constitution...

that states unequivocally that health care is a right granted to all people and that the ability to make a profit from it is illegal.

Of course, they would try to repeal that, too.

[wandy]

9. Never! Even after 2014 teapublicans will continu to work dillegently to repeal .....

Obamacare. That is if the Teapublicans can not find a way to defund it and prevent it's full implementation.

Can you imagen the profits lost by the GOP owners should Obamacare lead to something like single payer or 'heaven forbid' universal health care.

Should the Democratic party retain the House and Presidency republican efforts to repeal or obstruct will continue long after 2016.

Continued attempts to repeal or obstruct will continue to until one of two things happen.

1) A Democrat President with a Democratic controlled House and a Democrat controlled Senate with greater than a 60% majority.
2) A republican President with a republican controlled House and a republican controlled Senate. At this time Obamacare and any and all health care reforms will be sent off to the dustbin of history post hast.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Never. Social security and Medicare can be repealed. Everything is on the table.

[pnwmom]

33. +1

[Laelth]

11. Interesting question.

Not a single country that has adopted a form of socialized medicine has ever repealed it. The ACA falls far short of universal health care. As such, I think it is subject to repeal, at any time. Once we have socialized medicine with universal coverage, that will never be subject to repeal, but the ACA is merely a band-aid on a problem that grows bigger by the day. I suspect it will be repealed, sooner or later.

-Laelth

[davidpdx]

19. They have talked about it here in Korea

I think though (as you would expect) people would fill the streets calling for heads to roll if they even got close to that point. We had one conservative administration for five years ending Feb, and another one started then for 5 years more.

We have a national health insurance plan and I love it. I would be one of the first people out on the street screaming at the top of my lungs if they ever got serious about it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. Technically, it could be repealed anytime the Republicans get a strong enough majority in Congress

and a Republican POTUS. However, the more people get used to the benefits of living under ACA, the less public support there will be for repealing it. Does anybody (except for Repubs) really want to go back to being able to be denied health insurance for pre-existing conditions and/or birth control and preventative care not being 100% covered? It may not be a perfect analogy but even with Republican majorities, Bush wasn't able to privatize SS back in 2005.

[Zulan]

14. That is my fear!

How do we ever improve our country if any advance we make in legislation is torn down the next time the crazies control the looney bin? If politicians ignore everything but billionaires eventually through tiny changes this country is run for-profit only at all levels.

[BlueDemKev]

15. All the more reason...

...we must make sure that every liberal/progressive voter gets to the polls at EVERY ELECTION to stop the Rethugs from taking control of everything. The impeccable GOTV apparatus we had in 2012 must be maintained.

[DFW]

20. Just as 2012 was not quite the thundering victory of 2008

We must not let 2014 be an even more crushing defeat than 2010. On the contrary, it is a trend that must be reversed.

If we keep see-sawing back and forth every two year election cycle, the country will go nowhere for the next 20 years, and that, in turn means going backwards.

[BlueDemKev]

22. 2008 vs. 2012; Upcoming 2014 Midterms

No, 2012 wasn't as great as 2008 (at least not statistically! ), but you have to remember in 2008 Bush was extremely unpopular, the economy was in a complete free fall, and the Republicans nominated a namby-pamby has-been and a high school cheerleader.

There were some conservative-leaning voters who were so demoralized at the collapse of the Bush era and knew an Obama victory was inevitable, went ahead and voted for Obama probably so they could be a part of history (electing the first black president). By 2012, the economy was still hurting, Obama had taken a huge political hit with his enactment of health care reform, and people had been inundated by the doomsday screams of the tea party for several years giving them a sense that the country was about to fall apart. That fear, along with the lackluster economy, would hurt any incumbent. Isn't Pres. Obama the first president to be re-elected while unemployment was over 8%?

Anyway, 2008 and 2012 are behind us and we need to focus on the here and now, which is gearing up for the 2014 midterms. Every faction of the Democratic Party base...this includes union members, gays, African-Americans, Hispanics, and women...must be galvanized to get out and vote. Otherwise, we will lose. And as we've painfully learned, one bad election cycle can have very negative effects for YEARS TO COME.

Every election, Every time...GET OUT AND VOTE.

[DFW]

24. Every vote, you're right

And not only "union members, gays, African-Americans, Hispanics, and women," but boring old non-union white guys (like me) too!

[BlueDemKev]

32. Yep, and suburban, white, straight males...

...who are smart enough to be Democrats!

[whistler162]

16. Just after we pass the point of no return

on repeal of Roe v. Wade!

[WhoWoodaKnew]

18. I'll be honest. I'm not sure if I'll like Obamacare or not...

there are just too many variables to consider. And who knows how insurance companies will manipulate the system. Just too much stuff to take into consideration.

[quadrature]

21. no need for repeal... the mandate will be waved

so no one will be forced to buy insurance

[BlueDemKev]

23. If the "mandate" is repealed...

...the law will collapse under its own weight. People who are ill will be overrepresented in the insurance pool which will drive the cost of health insurance so high nobody would be able to afford it.

We need to get after people who can afford to purchase health insurance but refuse to do so (the same way society demonizes uninsured motorists). We should point out how they're getting a free ride on the system while the rest of us are forced to pay for their medical care. Every time I've made this argument to a conservative, they NEVER are able to respond.

[Hippo_Tron]

35. I'm not sure I buy the free rider argument

Yes, it does theoretically allow you to purchase insurance as soon as you become sick which drives the cost up for everyone. But here's a a couple potential problems with that.

1) If you're in a major car accident, have a heart attack, etc. and are rushed to the emergency room you don't exactly have time to purchase an insurance policy before you rack up thousands of dollars in medical bills for whatever life-saving procedure and post-op care you need.

2) Insurance not only covers catastrophic care but it also allows you to see a doctor, get prescription drugs, and other routine things that people generally want to have access to.

And finally, I'm just not convinced that people generally want to game the system. I think that the vast majority want access to health care if it's affordable. Yes some would rather spend their money elsewhere, but I don't think that's generally the case.

[BlueDemKev]

37. Response to Your Questions

"If you're in a major car accident, have a heart attack, etc. and are rushed to the emergency room you don't exactly have time to purchase an insurance policy before you rack up thousands of dollars in medical bills for whatever life-saving procedure and post-op care you need."

All the more reason people need to purchase and maintain health insurance before they need medical services. The problem is that people, especially younger healthy folks, think "Hey, I'm healthy, I don't need to buy insurance. If I do get sick, then I'll just pay for services I receive directly...no big deal." Yeah, no big deal until they actually get the bill, and then it's "Oh geez, I can't pay this" and then the rest of us end up having to pay for it through increased insurance premiums.

I'm sorry, it is a natural human instinct to want the best services at the least amount of cost to them. If we shouldn't be required to purchase health insurance, there's no reason why drivers should be required to purchase auto insurance.

[Addison]

25. Never.

They're still trying to repeal Social Security, Medicare, the minimum wage, the EPA, etc., etc.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

26. When did they stop trying to eliminate unions?

When did they stop trying to eliminate social security?
They will never stop and we must remain vigilant to ensure we are protected...

[graham4anything]

27. When Hillary45 is reelected in 2020 and it's 80-20 with the 20 over and out

[Arkana]

28. They're still trying to repeal parts of the New Deal.

It will never stop, ever.

[JoePhilly]

29. It'll die down some as the Tea Party dinosaurs start to die off.

That, plus the economy is going to continue to improve, making the GOP predictions of total collapse look more and more silly.

[Kablooie]

30. Once Republicans are elminated from politics it will be pretty safe.

Until then it will probably be attacked forever.

[totodeinhere]

31. Theoretically we will never pass the point of no return.

Under our system all it takes is majority votes in both the Senate and the House and the president's signature. Is it likely to happen? I suspect not even if sometime in the future God forbid the GOP controls both branches of the Congress and the White House. But in politics never say never. In fact Social Security and Medicare could theoretically both be repealed too but in the real world it has a snowball's chance in hell of happening.

[Generic Brad]

34. When they stop trying to destroy Social Security?

It seems some battles never end.