Courtesy of The National Memo:
In mid-March, House Republicans took their 52nd vote in 38 months to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While a majority of the House voted in favor of the bill, however, public support for these continued efforts to repeal the health care law is progressively shrinking.
According to a Kaiser Foundation poll released on Wednesday, only 18 percent of Americans still wish to see the law repealed and not replaced — 11 percent want to repeal the law and replace it with a Republican alternative, 10 percent want it to remain as is, and a 49 percent majority want to keep it and improve it.
It seems repeated GOP efforts to defund the law have hit a standstill, representing a possible warning to Republicans who exclusively focus on the ACA in the upcoming midterm elections. According to the poll, a growing number of Americans have accepted the ACA as the law of the land. Some 53 percent of those polled now say they are tired of debating the already implemented law, and would prefer to move on to other important issues.
This is great news moving forward. In fact there are more stories rolling in about how many of those once opposed to he law are now seeing the benefits.
One was so good it was even used by the White House Blog:
I am a staunch Republican, a self-proclaimed Fox News addict, and I didn't vote for the President. And I'm here to tell you that Obamacare works. I'm living proof.
I'm a chemotherapy patient, and was previously paying $428 a month for my health coverage. I was not thrilled when it was cancelled.
Then I submitted an application at HealthCare.gov. I looked at my options. And I signed up for a plan for $62 a month.
It's the best health care I have ever had.
I wrote a letter to President Obama this past February to tell him about my experience with the Health Insurance Marketplace. I hoped he'd read it, and he did.
I may not be a supporter of the President. But now, I get mad when I see Obamacare dragged through the mud on television.
And even though I regularly tune in to conservative pundits, I'd like to tell them they're getting it wrong. Obamacare works.
It's signed Mark D. Bearden, Ph.D. and the White House is now using it to help sign people up for Obamacare. Which is what I have been suggesting for months.
And of course the enrollment is now over six million.
However before we all start high-fiving each other we need a reality check.
While it is true that the Republicans cannot do anything in the short term to derail the Affordable Care Act, their is a scenario that would give them the power to do just that.
Last night on Real Time Bill Maher interviewed Jimmy Carter. When asked if he thought that winning the presidency, the Senate, and the House would mean that the Republicans would feel empowered to repeal the ACA, Carter said yes it would.
No doubt about it.
So while we may not be able to imagine a scenario where the GOP wins the White House, I am not willing to leave it up to that election to protect our progress, and we need to make damn sure that EVERY Democrat, Liberal, and liberal leaning Independent gets out to vote in 2014.
We have come too far to allow all of this to go up in smoke.
Nate Silver was on the Daily Show the other day and he kind of dared the Democrats to prove him wrong about his predictions concerning 2014. I haven't played truth or dare for many, many years, but that is one dare I am more than willing to take.
You just find the time to rhyme (sorry, I couldn't resist).
ReplyDeleteugh. I pray to the god I don't believe in that they've vetted this guy. It wouldn't surprise me if the Koch started sending ringers out that they could then "debunk" as "liberal lies".
ReplyDeletePresident Obama once said that when everyone sees that "Obama-care" is working, the Republicans won't call it "Obama- care" anymore. I bet he is right.
ReplyDeleteWe, The People vote for our Senators and House of Representatives. OUR vote COUNTS in the midterms. WE choose these people rather than the Electoral College choosing our President. YOUR VOICE COUNTS in the midterms, so make your voice heard.
ReplyDelete"Which is what I have been suggesting for months."
ReplyDeleteI didnt realize you were doing this, but it really highlights the failure of the administration to market this thing effectively. The thought actually passed thru my head yesterday that healthcare.gov (or an affiliated site) could have collected hundreds of thousands, maybe a million+ testimonials by now of people expressing their satisfaction with/appreciation for Obamacare. They could have LITERALLY buried the critics with favorable comments, figuratively speaking. Perhaps they could have included a comments page at the end of the signup process. Or sent a confirmation email soliciting a review.
I'm afraid it looks like all too often that when administration does a good thing they assume We The People will appreciate it automatically. But, collectively, we're too stoopid for that. And that's why the GOP governs like the douchebags they are, but they are brilliant strategarians and marketeers in ways the Dems rarely seem to be.
The next phase has to be improving Obamacare and I'm not sure how that ever happens given the Right's unwillingness to demonstrate their patriotism in ways others than simply opposing Obama. I heard some pundant (that's a pundit who hangs from a cord connected to the ceiling) suggest that when the GOPOOP owns the House and the Senate after 2014 - Zeus forbid - they will be forced to govern with Obama.
We'll see.
Improving Obamacare is very important. I was very excited about the prospect of finally having health insurance. At 62 I am working multiple low wage jobs 7 days a week and supporting another adult. I was forced to start social security early in order to help pay the extremely high property taxes where I live. So, I finish the ACA app and get my results- I was very disappointed to find that I qualified for plans where I pay $0 but have a deductible that is so high that I could never pay it. Then there are the plans that cost $93- 115 with much lower deductibles but I can't really afford that extra bill every month. Also, those plans are coming from only one insurance company. Of course, it's BCBS. Nothing in between??? Just $0/6000 or $93/1500? I just can't believe it. No, I don't qualify for Medicare- and even if I did I would have to drive a long distance into some nasty neighborhoods in order to go to a Medicare doc.
DeleteI am not a troll. I am a progressive democratic who is falling through the cracks.
>No, I don't qualify for Medicare< meant to say Medicaid.
DeleteThe problem is that HHS refuses to state how many are paid, and how many are Medicaid. If they would release that, the Repubs wouldn't have a comeback!
ReplyDeleteMy step daughter literally spent 8 hours on the phone. The state denied medicaid-husbsnd makes too much. But Healthcare.gov says she doesn't qualify, contact the state. It was awful!
ReplyDeleteThis post is great,
ReplyDeleteYou tell it straight.
Thanks, Gryphen!
March On, Democrats!
Did you see this, Gryphen?
ReplyDeleteGoes pretty well with this post.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024751966