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.
The RepubliCons will get off of the Obamacare topic soon. When Obama is out of office they will itchBay about other things. No one blames FDR for the rise in cigarette smoking during his term but he was the biggest promoter. No one complains about atomic bombs and Truman yet he was the only Commander in Chief to use them (two) against worthy subjects. Few complain about Hoover and the Depression and most conflate J.Edgar with Herbie Derbie. No one complains about Wilson re segregating the White House, the District of Columbia, the Armed Forces etc. No one remembers that aspect of the bigot who got us into WWI to bring Democracy to the world. Or make the World Safe For Democracy. Democracy and Segregation (now, tomorrow and foreever). Clinton will be remembered for Monica. Bush for invading the wrong Eye Country. Nixon for being Tricky and not pulling out now like his father should have. Ike will be forgotten. And has been. I like Ike tho. Mitt Romney, after his term, will be remembered as a gypsy.
Irritated, Samatha then allowed herself to go overboard with, “I didn’t see you come out of your hole to comment on shelf life when mespo used “ilk.” You are just another one of the bullies who hangs out here.”
Mr. Turley has not tasked me with policing each and every comment, so I will beg off on your unmet expectations in that regard.
Your toilet comment remains out of bounds. A bully would not take the time to point out such things. They would instead in engage in pointless name-calling, e.g. “another one of those bullies.” Bullies rarely present their real names as I do here.
Despite all that, do try to enjoy what is left of your weekend.
Of course, there are always the run of the mill moonbat zealots. The world can deal w/ them, we always have.
Yes indeed Samantha, I do believe “anon” has a right to anonymity, that’s not the issue. The issue is because anyone and everyone can call themselves “anon”, I can’t see if his/comments have been hypocritical (which they very well might be) because of the ubiquity of the handle “anon”. I could log out, and become “anon”.
@Samantha
You are right. I actually used to have that in some of my “abouts ” when I was junger.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Zealotry has become the earmark of fundamental Christians, Islamic jihadists, and atheists. A HORRIBLE dynamic.
“I love the smell of [desperation] in the morning, it smells like..victory.”
see annie right there. You are the FIRST one to launch insults to other posters. People like you scare me because you are delusional fanatics.
you are zealots that will do ANYTHING for their cause. Dangerous dangerous people.
Annie, people have a right to anonymity, the same as they have a right to privacy, more so today than ever. We should all respect it.
One thing about protein toxicity, it down regulates the feel-good, happy hormones, predisposes people to escape from freedom, prefer the security of the barn to the open range.
It’s interesting to see the reaction to this posting of Mespo’s. There are some mighty angry folks here, it’s understandable. It’s telling when personal insults start flying.
i do not need to know your name when i can read the hypocrisy you post with my own eyes.
obama could wage genocide tommorow and youd find a way to defend it
Anon, it’s easy calling out another’s hypocrisy when one is anonymous. Kind of mean….nothing.
annie its funny watching you call righty hypocrites when you should look hard in the mirror. Its like watching a cast iron black pan call an black anondized one ‘black’. You are the definition of hypocrisy.
it is very sad to see how many former anti-establishment 60s protestors are now on their hands and knees in their suits and ties and worshipping at the altar of Corporatocracy. Sellouts.
its even sadder watching them try to justify it in some weird capitalism for the social good bent when its not even about that to start with. Progressives seem to think the ends justify the means. Its like watching anti-gun people say NRA members should be lined up and shot. Just foamin at the mouth craziness.
if you think that whatever it takes is ok as long as you get your goal of some social cause accomplished then you are a sick sick person. In fact you are even sicker than your enemies.
mespo, the predictable creature he is, is already speed reading escape from freedom, hastily trying to cull anything to use against me.
Knauer, I didn’t see you come out of your hole to comment on shelf life when mespo used “ilk.” You are just another one of the bullies who hangs out here.
Annie, you obviously have not read the book.
rafflaw, oh, I don’t know. Ask mespo who likes to attach the word “ilk” to commenters. I didn’t see you call him. You play hardball, and somebody gets hurt.
Samantha’s toilet language erases whatever point she was trying to make. That will likely have some shelf live in the future.
“That millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane.”
― Erich Fromm, The Sane Society