The latest sign of the Republican Party’s increasingly secessionist tendencies comes as Obamacare passed a major milestone in California, which late last week announced lower-than-expected healthcare premiums for its 5.3 million uninsured, less than many small businesses now pay in group plans.
“Covered California’s Silver Plan… offers premiums that can be 29 percent lower than comparable plans provided on today’s small group market,” the state’s new insurance exchange announced Thursday, referring to the least-expensive option of four state-administered plans and posting this price comparison chart.
In contrast, the refusal by red-state America to create these health exchanges, which would be more local control—a supposed Republican value—and to accept federal funds to expand state-run Medicaid programs for the poor, means that about half the states are turning their backs on their residents, especially millions of the poorest people.
The federal government plans to step in later this summer and offer uninsured people in recalcitrant red states the option of buying plans via federally run heath care exchanges. But the poorest people can’t afford that, meaning the refusal to expand Medicaid programs will leave them in the cold. They will see ads selling new federal healthcare options that will be unaffordable for them.
The New York Times reports that local healthcare advocates in red states are predicting a backlash once Obamacare is rolled out and the poor realize that they cannot take advantage of it because Republicans are blocking it. However, that does not change the bottom line in state-run Medicaid programs: the GOP is again penalizing the poor.
To me this smacks of desperation on the part of the Republicans.
They are desperately trying to keep the benefits of Obamacare from reaching their constituents because they well know that once the people of their state start to understand how the program will dramatically affect their access to healthcare, that ANY Democrat challenger would only have to point that out in a campaign, and that the Republican tried to deny that access. in order to defeat them in an election.
Ultimately to me it seems that they are playing a game that they cannot help but lose ultimately, which perhaps helps to explain why the Republicans hate President Obama so very, very much.
Yep, the GOP is all "country first" unless it actually helps regular Americans. They are really "money first."
ReplyDeleteRepealing Obamacare is the highest priority in America.
ReplyDeleteGreat jobs in many states in blocking implementation
What a sick twisted person you are taking joy in people's suffering. You must enjoy seeing the financial ruination of people bankrupted by medical bills, or the grief of those who see loved ones die for lack of care.
DeleteYou are a horrible person. Or you are incredibly stupid. Or both.
Dear 1:12 -- Just as long as they don't touch your Medicare, right?
DeleteOr your parents' coverage.
Sarah Palin should thank her deity that both her parents' recent operations were mostly paid for by the government, which uses tax dollars to take care of the elderly. Sarah, you'd much rather pay your paltry taxes than be on the hook for $200,000 to $300,000 for your family's medical expenses. Or you'd probably allow your parents to go bankrupt rather than give them money to pay for their care.
Come to think of it, I'll bet the Palins are taking advantage of the Federal system that supports year-round special education services until a child is 22 years old. So our taxes are paying for Trig as well. The next time Sarah rails against taxes, let's remind her just how much she's taking vs. how much she's paying. She comes out the winner in this equation.
And once people understand that they are suffering because of the actions of their Republican law makers all the Democratic challenger will have to do is point that out.
ReplyDeleteThe obstructionist Republicans are going to go down in upcoming elections. Everyone is already happy w/Obamacare that have had the benefit of it - it's only going to get better.
ReplyDeleteThey don't give a shit about the poor, they think the poor don't vote, can't afford to give to campaigns, that they just draw on the government. They want them to die off.
ReplyDeletePalin Gives $5,000 to Smith in Missouri Special Election
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.rollcall.com/moneyline/palin-gives-5000-to-smith-in-missouri-special-election/
http://www.electjasonsmith.com/
If Sarah Palin gave him money, you can bet he's horrible.
DeleteThey're also hoping that some of those poor people will up and move to states that will cover them with Obamacare. Just the way they were eager for Southern blacks to move north and stop pestering them.
ReplyDeletePaul Krugman's column today is worth a look: predicting that the "shock" of Obamacare is that it will work pretty well. Most of the problems will arise from the start up of a new system, the confusion arising from the states that have rejected it, and the fact that it's not a universal system. But, given those impediments, it may actually succeed very well for most citizens who live in states that are cooperating.
As a proud citizen of Massachusetts, I can tell you that Romneycare is pretty much a success here, and was the model for Obamacare. Thanks a bundle, Mitt!!
o/t -- As of January, there have been more deaths by suicide in the military than there have been in combat in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThose are our "heroes," Sarah, who are coming back to a society that's not prepared to take care of them, having sent them half a world away to fight for who knows what? Geo. Bush and Dick Cheney said they knew, but they lied, as well as bankrupted our country by voting in tax cut after tax cut while ramping up two wars that have cost us well over a trillion dollars.
Please don't blame our current President, who's been trying to right our broken system, handed to him after eight years of Republican avarice and lies. It can't be fixed in a day, especially because the Republican minority fights any hope of change because they think they can take advantage of the disaster bestowed by Bush and get back into office, so they can line their pockets. The Tea Party is just another self-interest group -- they want the booty for themselves.
Anon@4:10...there are many who finally understand that they have been ill-used.
DeleteThey were not drafted, they volunteered in the name of patriotism. They saw and did the awful deeds that are inherent in war. They suffer from physical injuries as well as the unseen PTSD and now have to deal with the fact that they were lied to in the first place.
When the ideals with which one enlists are ripped away, what is there to hold onto???
Tell me.
Think about it.
It is just shocking and mind-boggling all at once at how little these politicians care about their constituents. They are supposed to be servants of the people who elected them to represent them and take care of the system for the common good, but they immediately behave as though they are toxic nobility who can do whatever they want. Shameful. And they are doing everything they can to undermine democracy so they can stay in power.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
This is when the Democrats need to seriously up their PR game. All too often in the past 5 years, they've done a piss-poor job of getting the word out to the general public about the obstruction being done by the GOP.
ReplyDeleteThe polls about Obamacare are beginning to turn in the wrong direction UNLESS you ask people about specific elements of the program, which are very popular. The DNC has not taken advantage of the many opportunities to show the American people that they are working for them while the GOP has been working, as always, for the 1%.
Get it together, Democratic Party, or the GOP will win the media war with their lies and misdirection!
@645
DeleteYou betcha!
I'd like to see Gryphen highlight this issue of abject Democratic failure to manage the message on ObamaCare. A HUGE majority of Americans either support it or want it expanded and only something like 35% oppose it as 'socialist' overreach. But the media continues to report that a majority oppose it altogether. Perhaps the media AND the Democratic media apparatus are both incompetent.
I was just talking the other day to a friend who said his 19-year-old daughter was very upset after talking to her grandparents. They told her that, once she finished her associates degree in the fall, she would no longer be eligible for medical insurance under her father's plan and would have to find a full-time job with medical benefits.
ReplyDeleteShe was in a panic until her father assured her that she could stay on his policy until she was 26. They are both very grateful to Obamacare!
I read an article in my local paper today that said that the Republican obstructionism has created a problem for lobbyists who are trying to tweak the ACA. They want to change it for small businesses but are unable to get anything done. I laughed out loud for a good minute. Keep it up GOP. Everyone will hate you soon.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/us/politics/polarized-congress-thwarts-changes-to-health-care-law.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
ReplyDeletehere is the link to the article on gridlock stopping changes to the Health Care Law.
My state's governor opted out of joining the health exchanges for the reasons pointed out in this post. Tom Corbett missed the deadline and said he didn't have enough time to read and fully understand the repercussions to the state, and left it at that.
ReplyDeleteThen he pushed to privatize the state lottery, and a judge shot it down. Now he's pushing to do the same to the State Liquor Stores, and is facing backlash because it'll cost jobs and MADD's spoken against the idea of making liquor more widely available and causing a raise in crime.
Now his latest "brainfart" is that he can't find any latinos to staff his office (Latino population has risen to eighty percent)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/tom-corbett-latinos_n_3321360.html
Good luck, Mr Corbett, on holding your seat next election.
"Another Piece of Obamacare Is Working as Extravagant Insurance Plans Are Pared Back"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/05/28/obamacare_cadillac_tax_is_working.html
Part of that "savings" could be from comparing the costs to the newly jacked up costs that insurance companies implemented with the passing of "Affordable Healthcare".
ReplyDeleteOverall healthcare has risen dramatically since "Affordable Healthcare" passed.
That is a good point, but varies from state to state. States that had "guaranteed issue" laws saw much lower bump up over the past few years as compared to states that did not. This was necessary and fair to level the playing field nation-wide or state-to-state as many insurance providers faced the specter (as it were) of having to now cover all sorts of preexisting conditions that previously had been blocked. Now that that is done, what we are seeing (and I believe will continue to see) will be a downward trend in premium costs all across the board. I have never understood why Conservatives didn't get the beauty of Obama Care - it actually introduces competition into the marketplace; it should drive premium costs down. Yes, tax dollars are used to subsidize it; but then tax dollars will be saved that were previously used to pay for the uninsured.
ReplyDelete