By Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
Even as the GOP struggles to hold onto to its wacky Tea Party base and appease the country clubbers who finance the show, it finds it can unite on one thing: It Loves the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). That’s right, the party who issued dire warnings over death panels and runaway costs, and rationing, and lost jobs just heard from its grass-roots and … they LOVE it. According to the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that “aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable,” polling shows 74% of persons who had the guts to identify themselves as Republicans “said that they were very or somewhat satisfied with their new insurance plan.” And even more remarkably for that “sky-is-always-falling” crowd, they’re optimistic .. yes, optimistic, that “new health coverage will improve their ability to get the care they need.” What ? No waiting lines, no rationing of health care ? No shadowy board saying Grandma must die because she needs hormone replacement therapy?
What is this our conservative brethren cry? Well, it’s reality and everything Republican leaders hoped — for purely political reasons — it wouldn’t be. Like the number of uninsured dropping from 15.6% to 13.4% in just one quarter. This is “the lowest quarterly average recorded since Gallup and Healthways began tracking the percentage of uninsured Americans in 2008. ” Oh, then there’s the actual people who now can get the healthcare they need (and that most civilized nations regard as a civil right). Over fifteen million Americans have signed up for coverage by the end of the last enrollment period and about 8 million went through the exchange. A Kaiser Survey found that nearly 6 out of 10 of the 8 million who enrolled in the marketplace were previously uninsured. Maybe that will reduce the 25,000 American per year who, pre-ACA, were dying from little or no healthcare.
And what about the demographics of those recently insured? Those cut across all age groups except those 65+ due to their eligibility to Medicare.
Not seeing the doctor of their choice, I bet. Nope that canard has gone the way of the buggy whip too, according to the Washington Post. “Just about one in five of those with new coverage, though, said they tried to find a primary care doctor — but of those, 75 percent said their search was somewhat easy or very easy.” So 80% kept their doctor, and 75% said getting a new one –if they had to — was easy. That lying Obama saying that everyone will get to keep their doctor and plan. Throw him in jail for that whopper!
And lastly, what about that great Republican bugaboo. You know the one where we’ll all wait years for surgeries or even just to see a specialist under Obamacare? Well, the Commonwealth Fund says that 58% of those newly insured who needed to see specialists did so in two weeks. Two weeks? That’s how long it tales me to get a plumber out to my house!
So, with the dire predictions of the demise of healthcare system via the ACA effectively debunked what does it mean for the GOP’s singular wedge issue? Plan B: The President’s travel schedule? ( He won’t “visit the border,” you know) Well, maybe, but the bigger problem is the disconnect between GOP leadership and its apparently healthy and satisfied membership. Taking away the things that people like by their own government has never really been a winning political strategy. See, Prohibition, i.e. disaster.
Even more politically challenging is that independents love Obamacare more than Republicans. By a 85% to 15% gap, independent voters can’t get enough of quality affordable health care that, for the first time in a long time, actually costs less per month than their mortgage. Try that on for size GOP. Who’s left to vote? Undocumented workers? Oh, sorry, they can’t and well, a lot are Hispanic and … you know … you’re not doing so great on immigration reform. Next subject, please.
Already facing a demographic nightmare in 2016 when even more young people and minorities are expected to vote, the GOP presidential chances stand at a crossroads. Give up the best issue you thought you had: government “takeover” of the healthcare system or change? What would a savvy political party do? Well, change of course. For the GOP? Well, they do love a good collision course with reality sometimes.
Ok, all you political operatives in the making, what do you think:
Source: Commonwealth Fund and throughout.
~Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
By the way and for better or worse, the views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not necessarily those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays of art are solely the author’s decision and responsibility. No infringement of intellectual property rights is intended and will be remedied upon notice from the owner. Fair use is however asserted for such inclusions of quotes, excerpts, photos, art, and the like.
Sarah Kliff over at Vox has a nice article documenting ‘7 predicted Obamacare disasters’ that never happened’.
http://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5898879/seven-predicted-obamacare-disasters-that-never-happened
Among my favorites are:
The website will never work.
Even if the website works, nobody wants to buy Obamacare.
Only people who already had coverage are signing up
I think I can add one that Kliff does not mention. Remember when the people in the know were telling us that ‘people may be signing up but they will never pay their premiums – so the numbers are phony’.
I even had a health care professional tell me the numbers were inflated and those people would never follow through and actually pay up.
Well guess what? The numbers of people actually enrolling and staying enrolled are impressive.
And there does seem to be great progress on a major objective of ACA with the numbers of uninsured being reduced 30% to 60% depending on the market. That is truly good news.
Well, there are still more challenges so we will have to give the experiment more time to see how this all plays out.
But many of the fears and downright false claims of naysayers have been put to rest.
And all that means that more people have more access to quality health care at reasonable prices.
Why would anyone object to that?
Hey cherry picking Sid! You forgot this little passage from the article:
Majority gives positive ratings to their new insurance plans and says they are a good value, though four in ten find it difficult to afford their monthly premium
“Overall, the majority of non-group enrollees rate their coverage as excellent or good, believe it is a good value for what they pay for it, and say they are satisfied with various aspects of their plans. Satisfaction is highest for choice of providers but somewhat lower for plan costs, and among those in compliant plans, about a third say they are not satisfied with their premiums and deductibles. Most feel well-protected by their plans and express confidence in their ability to pay for their usual medical costs, but some evidence of financial strain remains. Nearly half of those in ACA-compliant plans say they’re not confident they would be able to afford to pay for a major illness or injury, over four in ten say it is difficult to afford their monthly premiums, and over six in ten say they are worried that their premiums will become unaffordable in the future.”
No word on how many sign ups felt that way before Obamacare.
I see this post, and many of the comments, as a Lefty Fantasy Propaganda Trope designed to help Obamacare proponents feel better about themselves.
The “trope ” is a variant of the Gilgamesh Enkidu “he who was once my enemy is now my BFF.” You also get some of the Noah -ish and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer derivative trope of “They threw eggs at me and called me an idiot but then it turned out I was right after all and not some kind of freak.”
This post will salve for now. Over time, as Obamacare continues to afflict the country, and the stink becomes too gross to ignore, then lefty psychological equilibrium will require a new fantasy trope, which I suspect will be a xenophobic variant of the Kraut’s “The Jews Did This To Us, Because We Are Too Smart and Too Good To Have Gotten Our Butts Kicked So Badly.”
I predict the new trope will be “We Gave Them A Brilliant Plan and The Republicans Stabbed Us In The Back!” Oh well, just say “la vie ” and move on.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Christmas or paying unaffordable premiums that you are not using. Hmmm wonder what millions of people will choose.
http://kff.org/private-insurance/report/survey-of-non-group-health-insurance-enrollees/
More than 40 percent of Americans who have health insurance plans through Obamacare said it is difficult to afford their premiums, while 62 percent are worried their premiums will exceed their price range in the future, according to a new poll.
The Kaiser Family Foundation released the results of its poll Thursday, showing that 43 percent of respondents reported having a hard time affording their coverage under Obamacare — which was designed to make healthcare more affordable.
Forty-six percent of the people surveyed said they are not confident they would be able to afford the costs associated with a major illness or injury. Forty-three percent have either a somewhat or very unfavorable view of the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law in 2010. About a third of the Americans polled were somewhat or very unsatisfied with their monthly premium and annual deductible.
“The critics’ view of the law as an unmitigated disaster is far from true, but it’s not what advocates might have hoped for either because many people still have concerns about affordability,” Kaiser Family Foundation CEO Drew Altman told The Associated Press.
There is a significant discrepancy in the number of Americans receiving financial assistance from the government to pay for their healthcare. The official word from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Kaiser report, is that 85 percent of enrollees qualified for a premium tax credit to offset some of their healthcare costs. The Kaiser survey results, however, puts that figure at 46 percent.
The overall Kaiser survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Elsewhere, it was reported Thursday that the largest health insurance carriers in nine states are planning to increase premiums for hundreds of thousands of consumers starting next year. The rate hikes will range from 8.5 percent (Virginia) to 22.8 percent (Maryland).
The open enrollment period for 2015 Obamacare plans starts in November.
“Forty-six percent of the people surveyed said they are not confident they would be able to afford the costs associated with a major illness or injury. Forty-three percent have either a somewhat or very unfavorable view of the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law in 2010”
So nearly two thirds have a positive view of ACA. And a major concern is whether they could pay for major illness which would almost certainly be impossible for the vast majority of Americans to afford without insurance.
Everybody is going to need health insurance. The only question is sooner or later? If you think health insurance is expensive try health care without it. Insurance premiums, even expensive ones, beat bankruptcy and living in a shelter any day.
Or do you propose that people with serious medical problems go with out health care?
Oh brother, but thanks for laugh. I’m waiting for the pinocchio rating on this column. I’m thinking the author missed the memo – ain;t nobody buying that schtick any more. Maybe give “war on women” a try. Nah, that is worn out too. And, whats with the middle school cat fight going on here. Grow up ladies.
All you Obamacare lovers, dont count your chickens just yet. Christmas shopping season isnt even here yet.
If I have to explain that comment to you I doubt you will understand the economics of it to begin with.
Also to the other poster, Krugman is an Obama crony.
To a truly unbiased eye, the President that Obama has the most in common with is Nixon. I find it fascinating that so many Democrats are rather oblivious to it.
I am a dyed in the wool NE yankee Democrat if anyone cares.
“All you Obamacare lovers, dont count your chickens just yet. Christmas shopping season isnt even here yet.
If I have to explain that comment to you I doubt you will understand the economics of it to begin with.”
Well, maybe I won’t understand your arguments if you actually make one.
But I guarantee no body will understand you if you speak in enigmatic phrases and obscure metaphors.
And obscure metaphors are prone to misunderstanding.
So your implied linking of Obamacare with chickens and Christmas means you think it is a really, really good thing that flows from traditional American values? Not much of an argument but it sort of hangs together and makes sense – sort of.
” I find it fascinating that so many Democrats are rather oblivious to it.”
Even Rachel Maddow, the queen of the cheer leaders for Obama, has criticized him, actually pretty effectively, on issues like NSA violations.
BTW, I am no democrat.
bigfatmike, here is the link to a series of comments I made about 80 percent of the workforce that do not earn a living wage (to begin scroll down to April 3, 2014 at 2:55 am, including stats farther down):
http://jonathanturley.org/2014/04/02/report-u-s-mre-meals-delivered-to-support-ukrainian-military-being-sold-on-black-market
Squeeky:
93% of the members of the National Academy of Science, comprising some of the nation’s best minds, do not believe an anthropomorphic god exists.That’s been a constant since the surveys were first taken in 1914.
I doubt scientists think god is speaking to anyone. The deluded among us likely disagree.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/14/paul_krugman_savages_elite_pundits_for_ignoring_obamacares_success/ “In his latest for the New York Times, celebrated economist and best-selling author Paul Krugman argues that the media has ignored the way Obamacare’s gone from a disaster to a remarkable success, largely because the media is comprised of wealthy elites who never saw the reality of poor or nonexistent health insurance for millions of Americans as anything more than an abstraction.”
bigfatmike, my pronoun was meant to refer to monopolies, which Teddy Roosevelt tried to deal with, but it was a resumption of business as usual as soon as he left office. It’s been that way ever since. So I deserve drawing your fire, after confusing you. Still, my larger point was that 80% of employees do not earn a living wage, the silence on which is deafening. You’ve got your sanctimonious party bosses in life boats, the hell with everyone in the water who actually keep the boat afloat. Sometime back, I commented extensively on this issue. I’ll repost it if you’re interested.
“my pronoun was meant to refer to monopolies, which Teddy Roosevelt tried to deal with, but it was a resumption of business as usual as soon as he left office. It’s been that way ever since. So I deserve drawing your fire, after confusing you.”
Oh Samantha you give yourself too much credit. It is easy to confuse me, I am a guy – it goes with the genes. Conventional wisdom on the street is the woman is always smarter.
I am not sure I agree there are many real monopolies. But yes I agree there is great and growing concentration of economic power and that feeds political power.
I agree completely with the supreme court that money goes to political speech. But what they miss is that too much money is like a bull horn that drowns out all other voices and prevents free discussion and a market place of ideas. How could really smart guys be so oblivious?
Sure I would like to read your remarks on the economy. We don’t always agree but that is what makes it interesting.
@messpoo
According to SCIENTISTS, God is probably speaking to you, too.
http://barbwire.com/2014/07/15/scientists-atheists-may-exist-seriously/
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
How can one compare a manager that is in charge of thousands of employees who makes 250,000 thousand a year with one that makes 40 million? Those good middle class unions jobs ended when Reagan busted the unions with Patco, and no president can bring them back.
There are line managers in bureaucracy earning a quarter million dollars annually, plus benefits. According to Obama, they are the elites. And there are executives with comp plans totally up to 40 million dollars annually and more. All this while 80 percent off middle class america, who produce everything that elites consume, can’t earn a living wage. You must be a loon living in loon land. It’s been this way for 100 years, and obama has only helped make it worse, after promising otherwise.
“There are line managers in bureaucracy earning a quarter million dollars annually, plus benefits.”
I guess it depends on which bureaucracy and which line managers you are talking about.
I did find some data a few years old about the federal government.
In 2005 the average for full time permanent federal civilian employees the pay grade was GS 10 plus some step and the total average dollar amount was just over $67,000. Clerical’s at GS5 made about $35,000 while technical personal at GS 7 made about $44,000 and professionals at GS 12 made about $79,800.
The pay grades will be higher now but that gives an idea of what middle class federal employees make.
Senior executive service make a lot more but there are fewer of them and even at their much higher salaries they generally make nothing like what people in business make.
It is hard for me to imagine that any one would think these people are overpaid.
BTW, even I don’t think ‘It’s been this way for 100 years’.
You don’t have to be a whiz kid to figure out that it was very different in the 1920’s which were very different from th 1930’s which was very different from the period 1945 – 1980, which has been changing in a fairly consistent way through maybe 2008.
Since 2008 the economy has rebounded from roughly 14.5 trillion dollars to just about 17 trillion dollars with the top 1% taking about 95% of that increase.
The rest of the 99% have seen our standard of living grow much less – I think stagnant is the word. What ever happened to trickle down? Even Reagan understood that when the economic pie gets bigger everybody is supposed to get a bigger piece.
samantha:
” I just contrast your socialism with the larger picture, …”
**************
Well that may sound intellectual to some but to me it’s gobbledygook. Pray tell what “larger picture” ? “American Gothic” maybe?
Sqeeky:
“I think I prefer doing things the way God wants…”
*****************
And how could you possibly know that? Does He speak to you, too?
I had never heard of PUMAs, what weirdos. They hate Obama with a vengance. Some PUMA woman actually made the New York Daily News retract a story about Michelle Obama and excessive hotel costs, she didn’t even stay at, LOL!
Samantha” “aristocratic lifestyle for those in executive offices and bureaucracies” The jobs in the bureaucracies are are some of the best middle class jobs around. They are hardly aristocratic.. Check the pay scales.
http://www.sunshinebeaglepups.com/Beagles/athenas-bailey-gold-orange-beagle-boy_disney_c_sunshinebeaglepups.jpg
Adorable enough to worship. God is dog backwards, no?
bigfatmike, I’m ready to get rid of the monopoly that now rules not just america but our marketplace, having transformed the middle class into little more than slaves, aristocratic lifestyle for those in executive offices and bureaucracies. That is what obama campaigned on. It’s disgusting how much silence there is regarding his lies.