The Democratic Party is better than anyone else at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. [View all]

[Savannahmann]

Since the issue first began, every news channel, every news program, no matter how friendly, or how far left leaning, has at some time started with the President Lied about keeping our plans under the ACA. Now, Mr. Pitt is linking to a news story where the Democrats say they are going to offer a fix. It's too late to do that. We're stuck with it, and I'll explain why. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024031946

Some companies are pulling out of the states all together, there is no way to retroactively grandfather in those policies, because the company in question isn't going to be in the state. Just one example, but you get the point from it. http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/22885945/health-insurance-company-pulling-out-of-sc

That is just one reason why this retroactive grandfathering idea will fail, and we'll look even fucking worse.

The other reason should be obvious. Policies are part of a negotiated contract. These negotiations aren't the same as buying a car, they take months discussing reimbursement to the medical group, schedule, payments by the patient/insured client. Late payments, everything. All of this is a point of negotiation between big box medical company inc and we'll screw you insurance company LLC.

Those contracts with those medical groups end in a vast majority of cases in January for the individual plans that are being canceled. You can't order the doctors, and insurance companies to pretend that the contracts are still valid, or to fold the individual plans into someone else's group plan, each plan is strictly limited, and the conditions for many of those being canceled can't be retroactively brought back into valid life with a wave of the hand.

So what is happening? Our poll numbers are dropping as if we were plummeting towards the ground from space. Because we screwed up and said something that wasn't true, and William Pitt is right in the linked article, we were blindsided by our own legislation.

Then we pass this fix, and we rush out and tell everyone that their plans are grandfathered in for a year, or two. We celebrate, and then the stories start coming in. The insurance company is still moving out of the state, and those canceled plans in California are still canceled. The company in Alabama can't negotiate the conditions for the individual plans coverage in time to keep them valid, so all the doctors will now be considered out of network.

All we'll do is extend the claims of the Democrats lied into March, or April, and by then the Democratic Party will be slightly more popular than a sharp stick in the eye. The Rethugs will keep the house, and take the Senate, and if we're lucky they'll try to impeach President Obama, because that would be the only thing that could save his legacy as a popular President.

Great Maker, doesn't anyone in Washington think these things through?