By Anna Daniels
The 115th Congress convened for the first time earlier this week. After their disastrous behind closed doors attempt to gut the Office of Ethics went down in flames, they decided that it was time to concentrate on the number one priority–Repeal and Replace Obamacare.
Repeal and Replace Obamacare has been the Republican mantra since 2009. Their call for repeal of the Affordable Care Act is gratuitous, but it has kept the base hopeful if not happy. Repeal is infinitely easier than proposing a replacement and Republicans have nothing to offer in its place. Maybe that is because the Affordable Care Act IS the Republican healthcare coverage position. Democrats advocated for a universal health coverage system, an expansion of Medicare. They caved under the pressure of the Tea Party and Obama ultimately signed off on Republican Mitt Romney’s model that was implemented while he was governor of Massachusetts.
GOP, Making America Sick Again
If you want a glimpse of what Republicans propose after they repeal their own Republican healthcare policy, recall how GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga practices “responsibility” for health care services and costs.
I don’t know the difference or cost between an X-Ray or an MRI or CT Scan. I might make a little different decision if I did know (what) some of those costs were and those costs came back to me.”
The father of five offered a personal example of how this shift might play out. He says his youngest son fell and injured his arm. Not sure if it was sprained or broken, he and his wife decided to wait until the next morning to take the 10-year-old to the doctor’s office, instead of going to the emergency room that night. The arm was broken.
“We took every precaution but decided to go in the next morning (because of) the cost difference,” Huizenga said. “If he had been more seriously injured, we would have taken him in. … When it (comes to) those type of things, do you keep your child home from school and take him the next morning to the doctor because of a cold or a flu, versus take him into the emergency room? If you don’t have a cost difference, you’ll make different decisions.
Can you imagine a kid spending a night in agony with a broken arm because daddy understands the importance of cost differences? These are the frikking mud people and they are making decisions right now that threaten to eliminate healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.
California has most to lose if ACA is repealed
More Californians have received insurance under Obamacare than any other state. According to the Los Angeles Times:
The ACA has not been perfect, there have been challenges,” said Sabrina Corlette, a senior research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. But “if there was one state where it was really working well … it was California.”
The state enrolled millions in Medi-Cal, and 13.6 million people — one in every three state residents — is covered by the program. Insurance premiums have not increased here as much as they have elsewhere, and the exchange still offers many options so consumers can shop around.
The percentage of uninsured working-age adults in California had dropped by more than half to 11% last year, according to federal data. Beyond signing up large numbers for coverage, state officials had also started improving the way medical care is delivered to patients, Corlette said.
When considering what the Affordable Care Act could accomplish, she said, “California was held up as the gold standard.”
Resist! A call to action
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Mud People) is conducting a phone poll, hoping to hear overwhelming opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Here’s how you can participate:
Call (202) 225-0600….
Press 2 to weigh in on the issue. You’ll hear a recording about the bill to repeal it, then Press 1 to support continuing the Affordable Healthcare Act. It takes less than 2 minutes– once you get through! Don’t give up if the line is busy.
If you get frustrated because the line is busy, think about someone you know who will be adversely affected by Obamacare repeal. Or read this list of provided benefits. Or send a letter or postcard to Paul Ryan.
Anna Daniels
Latest posts by Anna Daniels (see all)
- Bob Dorn: Rest in Power! - December 3, 2018
- The Urgency of Transgender Safety, Legal Protections - November 27, 2018
- Chaos and Cruelty at the Border - November 26, 2018
The Repubs have come up with absolutely nothing to “replace” Obamacare. It’s surprising that the “repeal and replace” thing was nothing more than a slogan and millions of people fell for it. It’s amazing what hate talk radio has accomplished throughout the heartland.
The Republicans have made crazy a goal.