Why Are We Talking About the Debt Ceiling Crisis As If It's Normal Politics?

[JDPriestly]

5. It isn't about health care. It's about tearing down our entire safety net.

Public pensions for public workers. Social Security. Medicare. And finally, health care.

Think of it. All the ACA really does is expand the Medicaid program to include a wider range of uninsured and subsidize their care individually or family by family based on income. It doesn't change the fact that they buy commercial, profitable health insurance. Will it gradually increase the pressure on insurance companies to lower the cost of insurance? Yes. Those who offer lower prices for the quality and offerings of the plans will get more enrollees. But beyond that -- it is some increase in subsidies for healthcare, but then we get better healthcare for people on the retail end for less cost.

I am wondering how this new healthcare plan will help people with certain addiction problems. If people who, say, have an alcohol problem but not a lot of money, happen to go to their General Practitioner now that they have one, will they get some assistance, at least a reminder that they are hurting their liver?

How about obesity? These days a lot of doctors are trained to talk to patients about their diets (the younger doctors). Will it make a difference in the amount of obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction (especially prescription drug addiction) that we have? Interesting experiment. The Republicans are insane. They are just doing this out of ideological fanaticism.