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.
SWM, I love the Hillary posts! I get to vent.
Squeeky, mespo is a good man and I would take the elephant story as it is presented. He often does posts on the goodness of people. He can’t help that he’s a Dem. He’s a plaintiff’s attorney, it’s required.
Mespo,
Weren’t most of the delays in implementation due to requests from governors and other interest groups?
nick, Why would they? Even you must be getting tired of those posts.
@NickS
Thx! I keep waiting for :
REPUBLICANS. Why Do They Suck So Much??? The Unbiased MIT Study
Plus I am even wondering if there is hidden partisan meaning in the story about the poor little elephant that just got freed??? I tell you, sometimes you have to take some of these weekend stories with a grain of salt.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
I released 3 comments from the spam filter.
I do notice none of the weekend cultist bloggers do any Hillary posts. You often learn as much by what people DON’T do or say by what they do or say.
They where for it….before they were against it. Why, I wonder?
Yes, “Don’t touch my government Medicare!”
Mark,
You woke up the minions! Great Adams quote.
Squeeky, Always good to see you and your poetic humor. You are key a key component in keeping the debate civil w/ your humor. We can smell the desperation from the Dem cultists. From Obamacare, VA, border, First Amendment, the list goes on, the operatives are putting out fires. It’s a sweaty job and everyone can smell it.
Annie:
Apparently, it’s only scary until you reach age 65 — unless you’re an insurance company or don’t have a functioning cerebral cortex/
swathmoremom:
I find it curious that the Repubs wanted to delay the mandate legislatively but when they didn’t have the votes complained that it was an unfair burden on small business. Now they complain that Obama’s delaying of the mandate was still unfair. Do they know what unfair means? Have they been tested for schizophrenia?
Maybe we should implement some form of estoppel for political discussion.
SWM, I noticed. Isn’t it wonderful that Professor Turley gives his weekend bloggers a forum in which to exercise their First Amendment rights?
“It ain” over until the fat lady sings.” We will all know better who really likes Obamacare when the program is fully implemented when all the entities that Obama extended are included to see the differences in their health plan costs. Until then, and only then, you should not comment or poll this subject acceptance because it the results are skewed.
Regards and good will blogging.
Annie, The blog tilts republican during the week.
Speaker John Boehner announced on Thursday that a lawsuit against Obama would focus on executive orders delaying the employer mandate provision in Obamacare.
The Republican witnesses are Jonathan Turley, a noted constitutional scholar with the George Washington Law School and Florida International University law professor Elizabeth Price Foley.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/boehner-lawsuit-walter-dellinger-witness-108808.html#ixzz37M4gyD6f
Squeeky and Creaky wish they were weekend bloggers, I bet. Don’t be jealous, it’s not positive emotion. Maybe we could have a silly poetry posting, how fun!
Squeeky:
“Have you noticed that each weekend brings the onslaught of “unbiased” Democratic Party talking points??? Sooo, this made me kinda poetic…”
****************
I rather like the apoplectic, reflexive and immediate neocon response and in droves to boot. Facts do get in the way of their “religion” andthey really don’t like it.
BTW, I get poetic too, but mostly prosaic:
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
~John Adams
@NickS
Have you noticed that each weekend brings the onslaught of “unbiased” Democratic Party talking points??? Sooo, this made me kinda poetic…
THE WEAK END WARRIORS???
By Squeeky Fromm, Girl Reporter
When the cat’s away
The mice will play
And vermin wax ecstatic.
And partisan hacks
Will make up facts
For causes Democratic.
Tee Hee! Tee Hee!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
” Blind partisanship is pure ignorance.”
Sure there are partisans around.
But more and more are seeing public policy like an ax or a 16lb sledge – don’t care where its from and don’t care what you call it, long as it is the right tool for the job and it works.